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

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

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on NVAX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Novavax from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Novavax in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Novavax from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on Novavax from $11.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Novavax in a report on Monday, December 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.88.

Novavax Trading Down 9.4%

Novavax stock opened at $10.14 on Friday. Novavax has a 1 year low of $5.01 and a 1 year high of $11.97. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $8.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.93, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 2.24. The stock has a market cap of $1.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 2.58.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novavax

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novavax in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Novavax during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Novavax during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Novavax by 25.8% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,896 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 1,617 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Novavax in the third quarter worth $64,000. 53.04% of the stock is currently 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.