Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) EVP Jim Wassil Sells 18,000 Shares of Stock

Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX) EVP Jim Wassil sold 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.74, for a total transaction of $1,561,320.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 145,435 shares in the company, valued at $12,615,031.90. The trade was a 11.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Jim Wassil also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, October 1st, Jim Wassil sold 2,250 shares of Vaxcyte stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.67, for a total transaction of $127,507.50.
• On Wednesday, September 9th, Jim Wassil sold 1,334 shares of Vaxcyte stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.52, for a total transaction of $79,399.68.
• On Friday, September 4th, Jim Wassil sold 1,381 shares of Vaxcyte stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.16, for a total transaction of $84,461.96.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Jim Wassil sold 3,477 shares of Vaxcyte stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.07, for a total value of $212,340.39.
• On Monday, August 3rd, Jim Wassil sold 2,250 shares of Vaxcyte stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.86, for a total value of $121,185.00.

Vaxcyte Stock Performance

PCVX traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $66.96. The stock had a trading volume of 11,559,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,556,494. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.78 and a beta of 1.23. Vaxcyte, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.87 and a 52 week high of $90.75.

Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business posted ($1.22) EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Vaxcyte, Inc. will post -8.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vaxcyte

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Vaxcyte in the second quarter valued at about $1,044,355,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vaxcyte during the second quarter worth about $701,520,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vaxcyte by 23.8% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Vaxcyte by 35.9% in the 4th 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 position in shares of Vaxcyte by 24.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,001,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,001,000 after purchasing an additional 1,386,968 shares during the period. 96.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vaxcyte News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vaxcyte this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vaxcyte’s VAX-31 candidate delivered a positive Phase 3 result in the adult pneumococcal vaccine market. The late-stage win strengthens the case for VAX-31 and was viewed by some analysts as a potentially best-case outcome, improving confidence in the company’s path toward commercialization. Vaxcyte leaps on positive Phase III trial of VAX-31
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable. BTIG reaffirmed a Buy rating, while Needham assigned a $122 price target, substantially above recent trading levels. Additional VAX-31 data and other pipeline readouts are expected in the first half of 2027, providing potential future catalysts. BTIG Research Reaffirms Buy Rating for Vaxcyte
• Neutral Sentiment: Vaxcyte priced concurrent offerings totaling approximately $1 billion: about $500 million through common stock and pre-funded warrants at roughly $64 per share, plus $500 million of 1.50% convertible senior notes due 2032. The company can also sell additional securities underwriters’ over-allotment options. Proceeds should strengthen its balance sheet and fund VAX-31 development, manufacturing and other pipeline programs. Vaxcyte Announces Pricing of Concurrent Public Offerings
• Negative Sentiment: The equity component creates near-term dilution, while the convertible notes introduce potential future dilution if converted. The financing announcement overshadowed some of the clinical optimism and prompted a sharp retreat from the stock’s recent highs.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option activity—8,093 contracts, reportedly 259% above typical volume—suggests increased hedging or bearish speculation, although options activity alone does not establish a fundamental change in Vaxcyte’s outlook.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Vaxcyte from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research raised shares of Vaxcyte from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Vaxcyte from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. 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, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $89.00 target price on shares of Vaxcyte in a report on Monday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vaxcyte has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $108.60.

About Vaxcyte

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.