0203 GMT - A high-severity influenza season in the U.S. could benefit vaccine makers including Australia's CSL, Morgan Stanley analyst David L. Bailey says. He points out that the U.S. CDC has designated its first high-severity season since 2017-18, with hospitalization rates at the end of February sitting at their highest levels since 2010-11. Bailey doesn't speculate on the degree to which vaccine demand could rise or the extent to which CSL and others could benefit. However, he thinks that vaccination rates may rise. CSL's fiscal first-half influenza vaccine sales fell 15% amid lower U.S. vaccination rates for people aged 15-64, he adds. Morgan Stanley has an overweight rating and A$313.00 target price on the stock, which is down 0.8% at A$253.20. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 20, 2025 22:03 ET (02:03 GMT)

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