Analysts now project the company will report fourth-quarter earnings of $0.57 per share, down from $0.63 in the same quarter a year ago. Consensus revenue estimates have also been lowered to $16.83 billion, compared with $17.76 billion in Q4 of the prior year. This anticipated decline marks the strongest year-over-year drop in both earnings and top-line results since the pandemic-driven volatility of 2020.

A group of Benzinga’s most accurate analysts have trimmed full-year earnings estimates by an average of 5 percent over the past two weeks, citing weaker demand in the post-pandemic vaccine segment and slower rollout of new specialty therapeutics. Projected adjusted EPS for fiscal 2026 now stands at $2.85, down from $3.00 in their December consensus, while revenue forecasts have been revised to $64.5 billion from $66.2 billion previously.

On January 20, the company entered into a licensing agreement with a biotechnology partner to secure rights to its proprietary Matrix-M adjuvant. This move is expected to bolster its vaccine pipeline, potentially enhancing the efficacy of both influenza and emerging infectious-disease candidates. The deal includes tiered royalty payments and an upfront fee estimated near $50 million, according to industry sources.

The company’s shares rose 1.4 percent to close at $26.44 on Friday, reversing a longer-term downtrend that saw the stock fall 8 percent since early December. Trading volume during the week of January 27 averaged 18 million shares per day, 20 percent above the three-month daily average, suggesting growing investor interest ahead of the February 3 earnings release.