Why Novavax Stock Jumped Nearly 10% Today

3/31/20

By Keith Speights, MotleyFool

What happened

Shares of Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) are soaring today, up 9.6% as of 3:16 p.m. EDT. The nice gain comes as the overall stock market is rallying after President Trump signed the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by a bipartisan vote in both houses of the U.S. Congress over the weekend. Novavax is also continuing to enjoy momentum from its announcement last week of positive results from a late-stage study of flu vaccine NanoFlu.

So what

The old adage that "a rising tide lifts all boats" no doubt applied to Novavax as the stock market moved higher today. However, the more important story for the biotech stock is its big clinical win for NanoFlu.

Healthcare professional holding a syringe and vaccine bottle

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Novavax's phase 3 clinical study results for NanoFlu should bode well for its chances of FDA approval. The experimental flu vaccine met both of its primary endpoints in the head-to-head study comparing it against Sanofi's Fluzone Quadrivalent. NanoFlu also demonstrated a safety profile similar to Fluzone.

Now what

The primary thing for investors to watch now is how quickly Novavax can file for FDA approval of NanoFlu. But the company does have at least one other key development to keep your eyes on.

Novavax is one of several drugmakers scrambling to advance an experimental novel coronavirus vaccine to clinical testing. The biotech is currently evaluating multiple nanoparticle-based vaccines and plans to select the most promising candidate to move into a clinical study in humans by May or June.

10 stocks that could be the biggest winners of the stock market crash

When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Novavax wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Recent Deals

Interested in advertising your deals? Contact Edwin Warfield.

Connect with these Baltimore Professionals on LinkedIn

  • Edwin Warfield

    Editor in Chief, Warfield Digital

    Connect
  • Jean Halle

    Independent Consultant

    Connect
  • Larry Lichtenauer

    President of Lawrence Howard & Associates

    Connect
  • Newt Fowler

    Partner at Womble Carlyle, LLP

    Connect
  • David Crowley

    Owner at Develop DC

    Connect
  • Carolyn Stinson

    Stinson Marketing Group

    Connect