Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is a "Hold" (10 analysts), with a split of 3 sell / 2 hold / 5 buy and an average 12‑month price target of about $12.13.
• Novavax beat Q1 revenue ($118.9M) and EPS estimates thanks to milestone/license payments, but management's FY2026 revenue guidance (~$230–$270M) is well below prior analyst consensus (~$388M), which may cap upside.
• The company disclosed expanded Matrix‑M partnerships (including a non‑exclusive license with Pfizer) and cited favorable Sanofi COMPARE data for Nuvaxovid, highlighting potential recurring licensing/milestone revenue and commercial differentiation.

Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.1250.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of Novavax from $11.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Novavax in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Novavax from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Novavax from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Novavax from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th.

Novavax News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Novavax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat estimates — Novavax reported revenue and EPS above Street forecasts, helped by milestone/license payments that offset weak product demand; investors viewed the surprise as proof of high‑margin deal momentum. Novavax beats first-quarter revenue estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Matrix‑M partnership expansion — Novavax disclosed multiple new/expanded MTAs and a non‑exclusive Matrix‑M license with Pfizer plus activity with oncology and top‑10 pharma partners, suggesting recurring licensing/milestone revenue potential beyond COVID vaccines. Novavax Q1 release
• Positive Sentiment: Sanofi COMPARE data cited — Novavax highlighted a head‑to‑head study showing a favorable reactogenicity profile versus Moderna’s mNEXSPIKE, which supports commercial differentiation for Nuvaxovid. Sanofi COMPARE mention
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access: Novavax will present at the BofA Securities 2026 Health Care Conference — increases visibility and could catalyze further analyst commentary or partnership disclosures. BofA conference notice
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst action: TD Cowen raised its price target from $8 to $9 but kept a "hold" rating — modestly supportive but implies limited upside from current levels. TD Cowen price target
• Negative Sentiment: Below‑consensus FY2026 revenue framework — management reiterated a revenue range (~$230–$270M) that is well below analysts’ prior consensus (~$388M), a restraint on higher valuations and a reason for profit‑taking. Q1 results & guidance

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novavax

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Novavax by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,470,365 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $103,961,000 after buying an additional 275,802 shares during the last quarter. Shah Capital Management increased its stake in Novavax by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Shah Capital Management now owns 14,845,097 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $120,839,000 after buying an additional 286,317 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Novavax by 32.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,523,646 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $63,999,000 after buying an additional 2,326,927 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its stake in Novavax by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 4,894,284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $32,890,000 after buying an additional 1,405,981 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Novavax by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,101,074 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $26,886,000 after buying an additional 15,685 shares during the last quarter. 53.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novavax Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:NVAX opened at $9.23 on Friday. Novavax has a 12 month low of $5.80 and a 12 month high of $11.97. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $9.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.20. The firm has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.91 and a beta of 2.37.

Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.25) by $0.19. Novavax had a negative net margin of 14.73% and a negative return on equity of 17.64%. The business had revenue of $118.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.81 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.93 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 79.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Novavax will post -0.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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