Needham & Company LLC Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) Stock

Posted by George Bondi on Oct 7th, 2026

Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX – Get Free Report) had its price target upped by research analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $110.00 to $122.00 in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 82.91% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Vaxcyte from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Vaxcyte from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vaxcyte from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Vaxcyte from $133.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vaxcyte in a report on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $108.60.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on PCVX

Vaxcyte Trading Down 9.6%

NASDAQ:PCVX opened at $66.70 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $9.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.74 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $59.28 and its 200-day moving average is $56.40. Vaxcyte has a 1-year low of $39.87 and a 1-year high of $90.75.

Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.06) by $0.09. During the same period last year, the company posted ($1.22) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vaxcyte will post -8.07 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vaxcyte news, CEO Grant Pickering sold 16,198 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.63, for a total transaction of $901,094.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 453,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,214,130.61. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew Guggenhime sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.89, for a total transaction of $538,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 105,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,667,934.64. The trade was a 8.68% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 55,890 shares of company stock valued at $3,111,189 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vaxcyte

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PCVX. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Vaxcyte during the second quarter worth $1,044,355,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Vaxcyte in the second quarter valued at $701,520,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Vaxcyte by 23.8% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,575,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $960,231,000 after acquiring an additional 3,188,687 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Vaxcyte by 35.9% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,296,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $521,213,000 after acquiring an additional 2,981,038 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Vaxcyte by 24.7% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,001,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,001,000 after acquiring an additional 1,386,968 shares during the period. 96.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Vaxcyte News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vaxcyte this week:

Positive Sentiment: VAX-31 met all prespecified primary endpoints. In the pivotal OPUS-1 Phase 3 trial, VAX-31 produced immune responses comparable to Prevnar 20 and/or Capvaxive across the studied age groups. The results strengthen the candidate’s prospects in the adult pneumococcal vaccine market. Vaxcyte Reports Positive Topline Data
Positive Sentiment: Analysts viewed the readout as potentially supporting competition with Pfizer’s Prevnar 20 and Merck’s Capvaxive in a market estimated by Jefferies at $3 billion to $6 billion or more. Needham raised its price target to $122 from $110 while maintaining a Buy rating, and BTIG reaffirmed Buy with an $89 target. Needham Raises Price Target
Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha characterized Vaxcyte as a “Strong Buy,” citing the VAX-31 trial success, potential invasive pneumococcal disease data, and additional clinical readouts expected in the first half of 2027. These remain forward-looking catalysts rather than near-term revenue.
Neutral Sentiment: Options activity was elevated, including heavier-than-usual put buying and moderately higher call volume. This indicates increased trading interest and potential hedging, but does not establish a definitive directional outlook.
Negative Sentiment: Vaxcyte launched separate offerings for approximately $500 million of common stock and pre-funded warrants and $500 million of convertible senior notes due 2032, with possible over-allotments. The equity issuance could dilute existing shareholders, while the debt offering adds financing complexity. The announcement overshadowed the clinical milestone and drove the stock lower after its initial rally. Vaxcyte Financing Announcement

About Vaxcyte

(Get Free Report)

Vaxcyte, Inc (NASDAQ: PCVX) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing vaccines to help prevent serious bacterial infections. The company uses its cell-free protein synthesis and advanced conjugation technologies to design vaccines intended to provide broad and durable protection while addressing limitations of existing vaccine products.

Vaxcyte’s lead programs are pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidates, including VAX-24 and VAX-31, which are designed to target a broad range of pneumococcal serotypes.