Is this U.S.-China selloff a buy? A top Wall Street voice weighs in
Investing.com - Stifel maintained its Buy rating and $17.00 price target on Inventiva SA (NASDAQ:IVA) stock, highlighting the company’s lead drug candidate lanifibranor. The stock has shown remarkable momentum with a 225% return over the past year, according to InvestingPro data, while analysts maintain a Strong Buy consensus.
The research firm emphasized lanifibranor’s "unique best-in-class profile" with its pan-PPAR mechanism of action that offers a multi-targeted approach to addressing both metabolic drivers of MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis) and liver fibrosis. With a market capitalization of $682 million, Inventiva is positioning itself as a significant player in the MASH treatment space.
Stifel noted that the Phase 2b NATIVE trial validated the drug’s three-pronged effect, demonstrating both MASH resolution and fibrosis improvement at 6 months, with the pivotal NATiV3 trial expected to show enhanced activity at 72 weeks with data anticipated in the second half of 2026.
The firm pointed out that lanifibranor is the latest-stage program in development for MASH, with clear positioning alongside current commercial offerings like Rezdiffra and Wegovy, which leave many patients with insufficient response or unable to remain on therapy.
Stifel believes lanifibranor will be well-positioned in the developing MASH market as an oral, once-daily, well-tolerated treatment that addresses underlying metabolic disease, particularly for F2/F3 fibrosis stage patients with Type 2 diabetes. While the company currently shows a weak financial health score on InvestingPro, its strong liquidity position with a current ratio of 2.96 provides runway for continued development. Get access to 8 more exclusive InvestingPro Tips and detailed financial metrics to make better-informed investment decisions.
In other recent news, Inventiva SA has seen several notable developments. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on the company with an Overweight rating and set a price target of $26.00, emphasizing the potential of Inventiva’s lead asset, lanifibranor, which is being developed for MASH. Guggenheim also raised its price target for Inventiva from $9.00 to $13.00, maintaining a Buy rating due to increased enthusiasm for the MASH market and the target patient population for lanifibranor. H.C. Wainwright assumed coverage with a Buy rating and a $20.00 price target, noting the FDA’s acceptance of a letter of intent for liver stiffness measurement as a surrogate endpoint, which supports the company’s drug development efforts.
Additionally, Inventiva announced the appointment of Jason Campagna as President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer, and Martine Zimmermann as Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance. Campagna, who brings experience from Q32 Bio and Intercept Pharmaceuticals, succeeds co-founder Pierre Broqua and outgoing CMO Michael Cooreman. These developments indicate strategic moves in both leadership and product focus for Inventiva.
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