Novavax Stock Pulls Back After Milestone Vaccine Success

Drug stock Novavax Inc (NASDAQ:NVAX) is trading 2.8% lower at $9.18 this afternoon, pulling back from yesterday's surge to six-week highs. Today's drop has put the equity in a deficit for the quarter, though NVAX shares remain 36% higher year-to-date. The stock recently enjoyed a lift after trial results for its skin cancer vaccine with Moderna (MRNA) showed positive results.

Options traders are betting on the downfall of NVAX however, with 29,000 puts across the tape so far. This is 32 times the average daily rate, with the most active contracts being the weekly January 21, 2028 10-strike put and January 15, 2027 10-strike put.

In the near term, options traders are taking a different stance. This is per NVAX's Shaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.13, which sits in the 10th percentile of its annual range. Should this bullish sentiment begin to unwind, it could trigger more headwinds for the shares.

Short interest has been on the rise, up 4.2% over the most recent reporting period, now accounting for 29% of the stock's available float. At the stock's average pace of trading, it would take short sellers over two weeks to buy back their bearish bets.

Plus, options are looking affordable, per NVAX's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 80%, which ranks in the 27th percentile of its annual range.