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

Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX)’s share price was down 9.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $9.81 and last traded at $10.0970. Approximately 4,105,737 shares changed hands during 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 Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Novavax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results sharply beat expectations — Novavax reported a surprise GAAP profit of $0.11/share and ~67% y/y revenue growth, driving the initial rally. Novavax Stock Gains as Q4 Earnings & Sales Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue drivers and cash/milestones look solid — company cited Sanofi milestone receipts ($225M in 2025), licensing activity (including a Pfizer Matrix‑M license) and ended 2025 with substantial cash, supporting near‑term liquidity. Novavax Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Operational Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism increased — HC Wainwright raised its price target (to $16) and reiterated a Buy, giving investors a fresh upside thesis. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity — heavy call buying (noted spike in call volume) signals speculative bullish positioning by traders ahead or in response to the earnings beat.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management engaging investors — Novavax will present at upcoming conferences (TD Cowen fireside chat, others), which should provide more detail on pipeline and commercialization cadence. Novavax to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call/transcript available — read management commentary for color on demand trends, partner milestones and cost trajectory. Novavax, Inc. (NVAX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Forward revenue guidance disappointed relative to street expectations — management’s 2026 revenue guidance range is materially below consensus, which tempers the post‑earnings enthusiasm despite the quarter’s strength. Novavax Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Operational Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors remain cautious — a number of write‑ups noted that despite the beat the rally may be muted or mixed as the market digests sustainability of sales and guidance. Novavax (NVAX) Beats Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on NVAX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. 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 report on Friday. TD Cowen reduced 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded Novavax from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novavax has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.88.

Novavax Stock Down 9.7%

The firm has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 2.58. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.93, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 2.24.

Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.66) by $0.77. Novavax had a negative return on equity of 217.02% and a net margin of 32.10%.The firm had revenue of $136.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.26 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.51) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 66.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Novavax, Inc. will post -1.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Novavax during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Novavax in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Novavax during the second quarter worth approximately $52,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of 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, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Novavax during the third quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 53.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.