Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) Reaches New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Posted by on Oct 7th, 2026

Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX – Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on the stock from $110.00 to $122.00. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock. Vaxcyte traded as high as $89.00 and last traded at $87.1950, with a volume of 1927060 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $56.48.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Vaxcyte from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vaxcyte in a research report on Friday. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Vaxcyte from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vaxcyte from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Vaxcyte from $133.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $108.60.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Vaxcyte

Insider Transactions at Vaxcyte

In other Vaxcyte news, CFO Andrew Guggenhime sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 value of $538,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 105,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,667,934.64. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Grant Pickering sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.65, for a total transaction of $111,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 133,215 shares in the company, valued at $7,413,414.75. The trade was a 1.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 55,890 shares of company stock worth $3,111,189. 3.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Vaxcyte

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vaxcyte

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Vaxcyte in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,044,355,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Vaxcyte by 23.8% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,575,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $960,231,000 after purchasing an additional 3,188,687 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vaxcyte during the second quarter valued at approximately $701,520,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,981,038 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Vaxcyte by 24.7% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,001,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,001,000 after purchasing an additional 1,386,968 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.78% of the company’s stock.

Vaxcyte Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $9.92 billion, a PE ratio of -8.74 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.40.

Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.06) by $0.09. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($1.22) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Vaxcyte, Inc. will post -8.07 EPS for the current year.

Vaxcyte Company Profile

(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.

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