Novavax: Implied upside of 1,153%
The third supercharged growth stock with truly jaw-dropping upside potential, based on the price target of one analyst, is biotech stock Novavax (NVAX 6.60%). According to H.C. Wainwright analyst Vernon Bernardino, who last updated his firm's price target in March 2022, Novavax is poised to hit (drum roll) $207 per share. That represents a whopping 1,153% upside from where shares ended this past week.
Bernardino's price target, which sits as the high-water mark among covering analysts, was based on the idea that Novavax would receive authorization to sell its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, worldwide. Whereas the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines rely on messenger-RNA (mRNA) technology, the Novavax vaccine is differentiated in that it relies on an older and more traditional application of introducing harmless pieces of spike protein to teach a person's immune system how to fight and/or prevent infection. The thinking here is that folks who were leery of getting an mRNA vaccine might be more willing to receive an initial series or booster shots from Novavax's protein-based COVID-19 vaccine.
NASDAQ: NVAX
Something else that's working in Novavax's favor is the efficacy of NVX-CoV2373. Only three COVID-19 vaccines have reached the highly coveted 90% vaccine efficacy (VE) level. Those being Moderna (94.1%), Pfizer/BioNTech (95%), and Novavax (90.4%) with its U.S./Mexico trial in 2021. Even though VE is just one measure of efficacy, it's a strong enough headline number to keep Novavax in the global rotation as a major initial series and booster vaccine player.
Similar to Bionano, Novavax is swimming with cash. The company ended the third quarter with $1.28 billion in cash and cash equivalents, which is more than enough to cover the future repayment of its convertible notes and fuel ongoing research. In particular, Novavax could be one of the first drug developers to bring a combination vaccine targeting COVID-19 and influenza to market.
But even being a shareholder, I don't in any way foresee $207 as a viable price target for Novavax in 2023. With the company enduring numerous emergency-use filing delays and production snafus, it missed out on most of the low-hanging fruit in developed markets in 2022. Moving forward, it'll primarily be focusing its attention on recurring booster shots in developed countries and initial series vaccinations in emerging markets.
While I believe Novavax is an amazing value at its current share price, it could take a couple of quarters before Wall Street realizes that as well. If sales growth continues, losses shrink, and the company advances its combination vaccines, it could certainly end 2023 on a much higher note than it'll finish 2022.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2022/12/06/3-growth-stocks-with-393-to-1153-upside-in-2023/
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