American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX)

American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX) by 14.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 605,267 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 76,262 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.49% of Vaxcyte worth $49,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Vaxcyte by 23.1% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 10,921,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,247,954,000 after purchasing an additional 2,052,989 shares during the last quarter. RA Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Vaxcyte by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. RA Capital Management L.P. now owns 8,689,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $992,914,000 after buying an additional 485,436 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Vaxcyte in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,114,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Vaxcyte by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,786,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,162,000 after acquiring an additional 324,560 shares during the period. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. lifted its stake in Vaxcyte by 41.9% during the 3rd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 976,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,556,000 after acquiring an additional 288,341 shares during the period. 96.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vaxcyte Stock Performance

Shares of Vaxcyte stock opened at $68.56 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $8.83 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.90 and a beta of 1.02. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $80.72 and its 200 day moving average is $93.16. Vaxcyte, Inc. has a one year low of $58.10 and a one year high of $121.06.

Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.02) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.16) by $0.14. Analysts predict that Vaxcyte, Inc. will post -4.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Teri Loxam sold 6,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.11, for a total value of $531,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $610,664.25. This represents a 46.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Jim Wassil sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.27, for a total value of $586,160.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 154,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,351,794.37. This represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 46,250 shares of company stock valued at $3,840,018. 3.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PCVX shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Vaxcyte in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Vaxcyte in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Vaxcyte in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $147.50.

About Vaxcyte

Vaxcyte, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology vaccine company, develops novel protein vaccines to prevent or treat bacterial infectious diseases. Its lead vaccine candidate is VAX-24, a 24-valent investigational pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease. The company also develops VAX-31 to protect against emerging strains and to help address antibiotic resistance; VAX-A1, a novel conjugate vaccine candidate to prevent disease caused by Group A Streptococcus; VAX-PG, a novel protein vaccine candidate targeting keystone pathogen responsible for periodontitis; and VAX-GI to prevent Shigella, a bacterial illness.