Key Points
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On July 8, the Ark Genomic Revolution ETF sold roughly $7.4 million worth of BioNTech stock.
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Cathie Wood’s ETF has now almost completely sold its entire position in BioNTech.
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The immunotherapy company faces a projected sales decline for 2026, along with upcoming leadership changes.
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On July 7, Cathie Wood’s Ark Genomic Revolution ETF (NYSEMKT: ARKG) sold over 44,000 shares of BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX), a German immunotherapy maker. The next day, it sold over 78,000 shares, a transaction valued at around $7.4 million.
As of July 10, that left her asset management company with just 307 shares, valued at a little more than $28,000. Because Ark Invest holds positions worth millions of dollars and BioNTech is now the smallest holding in this entire exchange-traded fund (ETF), it may be fair to assume that Wood has moved on from BioNTech.
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What may have caused BioNTech to get the boot
One thing to know about ARKG is that it’s an actively managed ETF, so it’s common for the fund to move in and out of stocks frequently.
Because Wood’s ETF has now sold most of its BioNTech shares, it appears to be moving on, freeing up capital for Ark Invest. BioNTech stock has underperformed this year; as of this writing, its price is down nearly 4% year to date and has dipped more than 17% over the last 12 months. But there are challenges ahead that could continue to send shares lower.
One is that revenue is expected to land somewhere between 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) and 2.3 billion euros ($2.6 billion) in 2026, a significant decrease from the 2.9 billion euros ($3.3 billion) reported for 2025. That’s largely due to an expected drop in revenue from its COVID-19 vaccine, developed in partnership with Pfizer.
Another financial issue is that BioNTech reported back-to-back net losses in 2024 and 2025, after a net profit of 900 million euros ($1 billion) in 2023. That trend of net losses will likely continue, as BioNTech already showed a net loss in its 2026 first-quarter earnings report.
There are also issues on the leadership front. BioNTech’s co-founders, Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, are leaving the company by the end of 2026. Şahin is the CEO, and Türeci is the chief medical officer, so those are significant roles to fill. What makes that leadership transition even more challenging is that BioNTech has been shifting its focus from vaccines to oncology treatments.
Is it time to sell BioNTech?
The move from Ark Invest is notable. While investors shouldn’t automatically follow its lead in selling the stock, BioNTech is trying to overcome several challenges at once. The company has a promising clinical pipeline of more than 25 phase 2 or phase 3 trials in oncology, but it only has one commercial product — that COVID vaccine with slumping sales. All of this is complicated by the need to find new leadership.
If you haven’t invested yet, you may want to consider holding off on starting a position — at least until new management is found and the drugs in the pipeline show more progress.
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Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool recommends BioNTech SE. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
