Insider Selling: Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) CAO Sells $1,648,060.00 in Stock

Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX) CAO Elvia Cowan sold 19,000 shares of Vaxcyte stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.74, for a total value of $1,648,060.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 27,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,416,576.40. The trade was a 40.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Vaxcyte Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of PCVX traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $66.96. The company had a trading volume of 11,559,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,556,494. Vaxcyte, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.87 and a 52-week high of $90.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.78 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $59.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.40.

Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.06) by $0.09. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($1.22) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vaxcyte, Inc. will post -8.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on PCVX shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vaxcyte from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Bank of America lowered their target price 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. Guggenheim raised their target price on Vaxcyte from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vaxcyte in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Vaxcyte from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $108.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Light Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vaxcyte by 143.4% in the second quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 345,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,064,000 after buying an additional 203,373 shares during the last quarter. NEXTBio Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Vaxcyte in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,406,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Vaxcyte by 73.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,216,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,711,000 after acquiring an additional 515,209 shares during the last quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Vaxcyte by 141.8% in the 4th quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 917,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,313,000 after purchasing an additional 537,785 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elmind Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Vaxcyte during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,450,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.78% of the company’s stock.

Vaxcyte News Summary

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.

Vaxcyte Company Profile

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.