Novavax Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:NVAX)

Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders bought 27,036 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 145% compared to the typical volume of 11,038 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVAX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Novavax in a report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Novavax from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Novavax in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Novavax from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price target (down from $18.00) on shares of Novavax in a report on Monday, November 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.25.

Key Stories Impacting Novavax

Here are the key news stories impacting Novavax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and full‑year summary beat estimates — Novavax reported Q4 GAAP EPS of $0.11 and quarterly revenue well above consensus; full‑year 2025 revenue was ~ $1.1B and the company reported positive net income, signaling better profitability and topline recovery. Novavax posts Q4 revenue beat and net income for 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Material partnership and milestone cashflows drove 2025 revenue and liquidity — Novavax collected $225M from the Sanofi partnership in 2025, signed a non‑exclusive Matrix‑M license with Pfizer in Jan 2026, and reported year‑end cash of ~$751M, improving its financial runway. Novavax Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Operational Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its adjusted 2026 revenue outlook citing strength in vaccine deals and expected milestone payments, which supports near‑term revenue visibility despite variable demand. Novavax raises 2026 adjusted revenue outlook on strength in vaccine deals
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational progress — multiple material transfer agreements and early‑stage pipeline advancement announced; company expects first clinic entry as early as 2027, which is positive long term but not an immediate revenue driver. Novavax Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Operational Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: 2026 revenue guidance appears conservative versus Street — the company’s provided FY‑2026 revenue range (~$230M–$270M in filings/comments) is materially below analyst consensus (~$402M), which tempers upside and likely explains the muted market reaction despite the beat. Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) Surprises With Strong Q4 CY2025
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction muted — some outlets note shares were initially subdued premarket before modest gains, indicating investors are cautious about sustainability of revenue and reliance on milestone/licensing payments. Novavax shares subdued despite earnings, revenue beat

Novavax Trading Up 16.0%

Shares of NVAX traded up $1.52 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $11.05. The stock had a trading volume of 13,800,141 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,310,455. Novavax has a 52 week low of $5.01 and a 52 week high of $11.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $8.18 and a 200 day moving average of $8.00. The company has a market cap of $1.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 2.58. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.93.

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 the consensus estimate of ($0.66) by $0.77. The business had revenue of $136.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.26 million. Novavax had a negative return on equity of 217.02% and a net margin of 32.10%.Novavax’s revenue for the quarter was up 66.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.51) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Novavax will post -1.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novavax

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP bought a new position in Novavax during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novavax during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Novavax in the third quarter worth about $64,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Novavax by 25.8% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Novavax during the 2nd quarter valued at $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.04% of the company’s stock.

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.