H.C. Wainwright analyst Sean Lee reiterated a Buy rating and $16.00 price target on Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX).

The analyst commented: "On April 20, Novavax’s license partner Sanofi announced topline results from the double-blind, randomized Phase 4 COMPARE study comparing Nuvaxovid to mNEXSPIKE, Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine, at the 2026 ESCMID Global Congress. According to Sanofi, the results show that significantly fewer patients experience systemic reactions with Nuvaxovid compared to mNEXSPIKE (84% vs 92%, p<0.001). Furthermore, patients who received Nuvaxovid also experienced fewer moderate-to-severe (Grade 2/3) local (39% vs 59%) and systemic symptoms (43% vs 61%) compared to mNEXSPIKE patients. Recall, in 2025, Sanofi’s SHIELD-Utah Phase 4 study also showed that Nuvaxovid has lower reactogenicity compared to Pfizer’s (PFE; not rated) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Taken together, we believe these results suggest that Nuvaxovid is potentially the safest COVID-19 vaccine on the market, which we believe is of enormous importance to patients and clinicians as COVID becomex endemic in the general population and annual vaccine shots becomes a reality for many. We reiterate our Buy rating of NVAX and our 12-month price target of $16.00 per share."

For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on Novavax click here. For more ratings news on Novavax click here.

Shares of Novavax closed at $8.67 yesterday.