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

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

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price target (down from $18.00) on shares of Novavax in a research note on Monday, November 10th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Novavax in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Novavax in a research report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Novavax from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Novavax from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.88.

Novavax Price Performance

Shares of NVAX opened at $10.14 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.03. The firm has a market cap of $1.65 billion, a PE ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 2.58. 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 1-year low of $5.01 and a 1-year high of $11.97.

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

Institutional Trading of Novavax

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NVAX. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its position in shares of Novavax by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 12,755 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Novavax by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 155,743 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,350,000 after buying an additional 1,529 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Novavax by 25.8% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,896 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,617 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Novavax by 2.3% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 78,048 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $492,000 after acquiring an additional 1,718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Novavax by 5.5% in the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 34,095 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 1,766 shares in the last quarter. 53.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novavax News Summary

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.