Novavax's (NVAX) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at B. Riley Financial

Key Points

• B. Riley reaffirmed its Buy rating on Novavax but cut its price target to $16 from $18; that target implied 51.34% upside from the stock’s then-current price.
• Analyst opinions remain mixed: MarketBeat reported a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $12.33, with five Buy, two Hold, and three Sell ratings.
• Novavax beat Q3 estimates, reporting revenue of $68.3 million and a loss of $0.19 per share. Revenue was down 3% year over year, while the higher 2026 outlook partly reflected a one-time Sanofi milestone payment.

Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reiterated by stock analysts at B. Riley Financial in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $16.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company's stock, down from their prior target price of $18.00. B. Riley Financial's price target would suggest a potential upside of 51.34% from the company's current price.

NVAX has been the topic of several other reports. Wall Street Zen raised Novavax from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 12th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Novavax from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Novavax in a research report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Novavax in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $8.00 price target (up from $7.00) on shares of Novavax in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novavax currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.33.

Novavax Stock Performance

Shares of NVAX traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $10.57. The stock had a trading volume of 1,428,203 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,184,553. Novavax has a 12-month low of $6.20 and a 12-month high of $13.39. The firm has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.91 and a beta of 2.65. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $10.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.33.

Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.35) by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $68.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $50.42 million. Novavax had a negative return on equity of 14.82% and a negative net margin of 59.87%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($1.25) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Novavax will post -0.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novavax

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Novavax by 34.9% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,746 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,229 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Novavax by 292.5% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,353 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 3,244 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novavax in the second quarter valued at $42,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Novavax in the first quarter valued at $83,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in shares of Novavax in the first quarter valued at $90,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.04% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Novavax

Here are the key news stories impacting Novavax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Novavax raised its 2026 adjusted revenue outlook by $145 million to a $385 million–$415 million range, with a midpoint of $400 million, slightly above analyst expectations. A $125 million milestone from Sanofi contributed to the increase. Reuters report on Novavax’s raised forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results beat estimates: revenue was $68.3 million versus expectations of $50.4 million, while the loss of $0.19 per share was narrower than the expected $0.35 loss. Novavax also said operating expenses fell 41% year over year. Q3 earnings-call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: The company expects its cash runway to extend into 2029, easing near-term funding concerns. Sanofi also intends to begin a U.S. Phase 3 trial of its flu-COVID combination vaccine with Novavax in 2027. Novavax Q3 results and operational update
• Negative Sentiment: Despite beating estimates, Q3 revenue declined 3% year over year, and the improved full-year outlook relies partly on the Sanofi milestone, which may not represent recurring product sales. Q3 sales and guidance analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Novavax pushed its profitability target to 2029 may weigh on sentiment, highlighting that stronger revenue and cost control have not yet translated into near-term profitability. Report on Novavax’s profitability target

About Novavax

Novavax, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing vaccines for infectious diseases. The company uses recombinant protein nanoparticle technology and its proprietary Matrix-M adjuvant to develop vaccines designed to stimulate targeted immune responses.

Novavax's principal commercial product is Nuvaxovid, also known as the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, a protein-based vaccine developed to help prevent COVID-19. The vaccine has been authorized or approved in various markets, subject to local regulatory requirements, and the company has worked with governments, public-health organizations, and pharmaceutical partners to support its distribution internationally.

Founded in 1987, Novavax is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.