Abivax's shares fell 5.21% as it crossed below the 5-day SMA amid strong market gains in the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500.
Eli Lilly is reportedly considering acquiring French biotech company Abivax for €15 billion, nearly double Abivax's current market capitalization, indicating strong recognition of its potential value. Analysts from Morgan Stanley and BTIG have raised their price targets for Abivax to $145 and $150, respectively, reflecting positive outlooks on its experimental drug obefazimod, which is expected to become widely used in the next decade. This acquisition speculation not only boosts Abivax's market valuation but may also trigger further M&A activity within the biotech sector, intensifying competition in the market.
The potential acquisition by Eli Lilly highlights Abivax's strategic value in the biotech sector, especially with the promising outlook for obefazimod. Despite the stock's decline today, the ongoing acquisition discussions could lead to significant future gains for Abivax.
Wall Street analysts forecast ABVX stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ABVX is 153.88 USD with a low forecast of 131.00 USD and a high forecast of 176.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
9 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast ABVX stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ABVX is 153.88 USD with a low forecast of 131.00 USD and a high forecast of 176.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
9 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 113.980
Low
131.00
Averages
153.88
High
176.00
Current: 113.980
Low
131.00
Averages
153.88
High
176.00
Morgan Stanley
Overweight
maintain
$101 -> $145
2026-01-09
Reason
Morgan Stanley
Price Target
$101 -> $145
AI Analysis
2026-01-09
maintain
Overweight
Reason
Morgan Stanley raised the firm's price target on Abivax to $145 from $101 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares after the company provided its 2026 corporate outlook highlighting new market research and clinical progress ahead of next week's investment conference in San Francisco. As the firm has continued to interrogate the market opportunity for obefazimod in UC, it has found that experts are increasingly encouraged by both the magnitude of effect and tolerability profile demonstrated in the induction portion of the Phase 3 program, the analyst added.
BTIG
Julian Harrison
Buy
maintain
$120 -> $150
2026-01-08
Reason
BTIG
Julian Harrison
Price Target
$120 -> $150
2026-01-08
maintain
Buy
Reason
BTIG analyst Julian Harrison raised the firm's price target on Abivax to $150 from $120 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. Abivax provided an updated 2026 pipeline outlook highlighting strong Phase 3 ABTECT induction data for obefazimod, positioning it as a preferred, flexible oral option across the moderate-to-severe treatment paradigm, with no new safety signals reported to date, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
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Guggenheim
Yatin Suneja
Buy
maintain
$150 -> $175
2025-12-18
Reason
Guggenheim
Yatin Suneja
Price Target
$150 -> $175
2025-12-18
maintain
Buy
Reason
Guggenheim analyst Yatin Suneja raised the firm's price target on Abivax to $175 from $150 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares based on the firm's "optimistic outlook" for obefazimod in the 44-week maintenance readout that is upcoming.
Piper Sandler
NULL -> Overweight
maintain
$112 -> $142
2025-12-16
Reason
Piper Sandler
Price Target
$112 -> $142
2025-12-16
maintain
NULL -> Overweight
Reason
Piper Sandler raised the firm's price target on Abivax to $142 from $112 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares.
About ABVX
Abivax SA is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on the discovery, development and commercialization of anti-viral compounds and therapeutic vaccines against severe and life threatening infectious diseases. ABIVAX utilizes RNA-protein interaction interference and cytotoxic TH1 cell amplification to generate therapies to help patients clear viruses like HIV, HBV and HPV. The Company's product pipeline comprises ABX 203, which is the therapeutic vaccine candidate obtained from the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Cuba (CIGB) and is intended for patients with chronic hepatitis B disease; and ABX196, the adjuvant for therapeutic vaccines, among others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
