What happened Shares of Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX) rose 110% in February, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, as investors bet on companies that may develop a coronavirus vaccine to address the current global outbreak. As the outbreak deepened, with COVID-19 coronavirus cases topping 93,000 worldwide, investors flocked to shares of companies working on -- or with technology to work on -- treatment and prevention. Novavax announced details of its program on Feb. 26, saying it is now examining several nanoparticle vaccine candidates in animal studies. Once the company chooses the best candidate, it aims to begin testing in humans by the end of spring. Image source: Getty Images. So what For a late-stage biotech company focused on vaccines, developing a coronavirus vaccine could be a big win. Novavax has already demonstrated the strength of its technology in preclinical testing of vaccines for Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome. That said, Novavax has more to gain through its development of a seasonal flu vaccine -- in phase 2 testing -- and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is in phase 3 testing. Seasonal flu and RSV, a respiratory virus that causes cold-like symptoms, represent bigger long-term markets. The global flu vaccine market, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.7%, is expected to reach $7.3 billion by 2026, a report by Fortune Business Insights showed. Now what As long as the coronavirus outbreak continues, it's likely investors will monitor Novavax's vaccine development and the shares will benefit. That said, once the outbreak is over, the shares may lose the upward momentum. Long-term investors might want to watch and wait on this one and take a closer look at the company's entire pipeline before considering shares of this biotech company. 10 stocks we like better than NovavaxWhen 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. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of December 1, 2019 Adria Cimino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source