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

Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

NVAX has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price 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. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price objective (down from $18.00) on shares of Novavax in a research report on Monday, November 10th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Novavax from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Novavax in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, HC Wainwright upped their price target on Novavax from $11.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.88.

Novavax Trading Down 9.4%

Novavax stock opened at $10.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.93, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a current ratio of 2.13. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a PE ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 2.54. Novavax has a 52 week low of $5.01 and a 52 week high of $11.97.

Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.66) by $0.77. The firm had revenue of $136.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.26 million. Novavax had a negative return on equity of 673.17% and a net margin of 39.19%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 66.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.51) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Novavax will post -1.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novavax

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novavax by 95.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 44,427 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 21,663 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Novavax by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 104,562 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $678,000 after acquiring an additional 2,750 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in Novavax during the 1st quarter worth approximately $158,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Novavax by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 312,789 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,005,000 after acquiring an additional 44,105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Novavax during the 1st quarter valued at $167,000. 53.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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

Novavax Company Profile

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.