Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $30.12 and last traded at $37.76, with a volume of 13995362 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $69.46.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Vaxcyte Trading Down 45.6 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $79.12 and a 200 day moving average of $91.83. The company has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.21 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Teri Loxam sold 6,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.11, for a total transaction of $531,937.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $610,664.25. This represents a 46.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Andrew Guggenhime sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.51, for a total value of $692,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,472,066.41. The trade was a 6.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 46,250 shares of company stock worth $3,840,018. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vaxcyte

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vaxcyte during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vaxcyte by 188.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of Vaxcyte in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Vaxcyte by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Vaxcyte by 77,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. 96.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.