Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) Stock Price Down 9.8% – Here’s What Happened

Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX)’s share price was down 9.8% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $9.81 and last traded at $10.0970. Approximately 4,105,737 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 5,526,482 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.19.

Novavax News Roundup

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Novavax from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Novavax in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Novavax from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Novavax in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Novavax from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.88.

Novavax Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a PE ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 2.58. 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’s fifty day moving average is $8.34 and its 200-day moving average is $8.03.

Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 39.19% and a negative return on equity of 836.17%. The company had revenue of $136.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.26 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.51) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 66.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Novavax, Inc. will post -1.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Novavax

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Novavax during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Novavax in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Novavax in the 3rd quarter worth $64,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position 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 worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,617 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Novavax during the second quarter valued at $52,000. 53.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.