Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price objective (down from $18.00) on shares of Novavax in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Novavax in a report on Monday, December 29th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on shares of Novavax from $11.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Novavax in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Novavax from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.88.

Novavax Stock Down 9.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:NVAX opened at $10.14 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 2.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $8.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.27, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.93. Novavax has a 12-month low of $5.01 and a 12-month high of $11.97.

Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.66) by $0.77. Novavax had a negative return on equity of 836.17% and a net margin of 39.19%.The company had revenue of $136.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.26 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.51) EPS. Novavax’s revenue for the quarter was up 66.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Novavax will post -1.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Novavax by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 259,380 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after purchasing an additional 29,704 shares during the period. VARCOV Co. bought a new position in Novavax in the fourth quarter worth $263,000. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Novavax by 67.4% in the fourth quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 104,019 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $699,000 after purchasing an additional 41,866 shares in the last quarter. Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in Novavax during the fourth quarter valued at $145,000. Finally, Man Group plc bought a new stake in shares of Novavax during the 4th quarter valued at $290,000. Institutional investors own 53.04% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Novavax

Here are the key news stories impacting Novavax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat: Novavax reported a surprise GAAP profit (EPS $0.11) and ~67% year‑over‑year revenue growth, driven by licensing/milestone revenues — the core reason the stock jumped on the news. Novavax Stock Gains as Q4 Earnings & Sales Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong operational highlights and balance sheet: Full‑year 2025 revenue of ~$1.1B, $225M Sanofi milestones earned, and year‑end cash of ~$751M reduce short‑term financing risk and support pipeline investments. Novavax Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Operational Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: HC Wainwright raised its price target to $16 and kept a Buy rating, signaling bullish conviction from at least one sell‑side shop. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access: Management will present at upcoming investor conferences (TD Cowen fireside chat, others) — useful for transparency but not a near‑term catalyst by itself. Novavax to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Market activity: Unusual options flow showed heavy call buying around the earnings move, indicating elevated short‑term speculative interest. (This reflects trader positioning, not fundamental change.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript posted for deeper detail on results and guidance assumptions. Novavax, Inc. (NVAX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: 2026 revenue guidance disappointed relative to consensus: Management guided revenue of $230M–$270M for 2026, well below street estimates (~$402M), creating concern about demand trends and prompting profit‑taking. Novavax Q4 Press Release / Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution remains: Some analysts argue the bull case needs more proof despite the beat — concerns on sustainability of licensing revenue, product demand and execution could cap multiple expansion. Novavax: The Bear Case Is Broken, But The Bull Case Needs More Proof

About Novavax

Novavax, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, that specializes in the discovery, development and commercialization of next-generation vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases. Founded in 1987, the company has built a platform based on recombinant nanoparticle technology and its proprietary Matrix-M™ adjuvant to enhance immune responses.

The company’s lead product is NVX-CoV2373, a protein-based vaccine designed to elicit a robust immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.