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Take Advantage of Vaxart’s Sharp Pullback, Says Analyst

The recent news of an adverse reaction suffered by a participant in AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate’s clinical trial demonstrated that getting an approved vaccine to market is no straight forward matter. What the unfortunate event also shows, is that the race to be first across the finish line with a viable solution is far from over.

The field is still open, then, for vaccine specialist Vaxart (VXRT) to make its mark. The small cap is still far behind other major players in the development of its COVID-19 vaccine program, but following the publication of promising pre-clinical trial data, B Riley FBR analyst Mayank Mamtani tells investors not to write off the minnow just yet.

“We continue to believe VXRT stands out among the second wave of C-19 vaccine makers, in terms of offering a convenient oral dosing enabled by the platform broadly characterized to generate humoral, mucosal, and cellular immunity, and recommend investors take additional advantage of the recent equity pullback…”

Mamtani’s latest endorsement comes after all four vaccine candidates developed from VXRT’s proprietary VAAST platform were assessed in mouse models and elicited a strong immune response. The most potent of which, rAdS-N, will most likely advance to a Phase 1 trial, expected to begin shortly. Additionally, the vaccines caused only low levels of IL-4 production, restricting the danger of developing vaccine-dependent disease enhancement.

After a barely believable run up, which saw VXRT shares increase by 4900% since the turn of the year, the past couple of months have seen a sharp reversal at play, as the stock has retreated by 73% since the yearly high. Mamtani, however, expects the shares to beat the previous milestone and has a $22 price target in mind, which implies a whooping 360% upside from current levels. (To watch Mamtani’s track record, click here)

Only one other analyst has recently published a Vaxart review, also recommending investors Buy shares. All in all, the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating backed with a $19.5 average price target. Gains of 308% could be in the cards, should the figure be met over the coming months. (See Vaxart stock analysis on TipRanks)

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

Marty Shtrubel
Marty Shtrubel was born in the UK, raised in Israel, and then headed back to London, where he made music and pursued a career in sound recording. After a move back to Tel Aviv, he set off on a new path and now works as a financial blogger at TipRanks.

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