WS Investor
05 Oct 2026, 14:16
Vaxcyte Stock Surges 46.4% as Guggenheim Raises Price Target After Positive VAX-31 Phase 3 Data
Vaxcyte shares jumped 46.4% to $82.68 after Guggenheim raised its price target to $125 from $116 while maintaining a Buy rating.
The move followed positive topline results from the pivotal Phase 3 OPUS-1 trial of VAX-31, the company’s 31-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate. VAX-31 met all prespecified primary endpoints across the age groups studied compared with Prevnar 20 and Capvaxive.
Among adults aged 50 and older, all 28 serotypes shared with PCV20 and/or PCV21 met the trial’s noninferiority threshold. The three serotypes unique to VAX-31, along with cross-reactive serotype 20B, met the superiority criterion. VAX-31 also met the primary immunobridging endpoint across all 321 serotype comparisons in adults aged 18 to 49.
Safety was another positive, with VAX-31 showing a profile similar to PCV20 and PCV21 and no vaccine-related serious adverse events reported.
The sharp rally reflects increased confidence that VAX-31 could become a broad-spectrum competitor in the adult pneumococcal vaccine market. Vaxcyte expects additional Phase 3 data from OPUS-2 and OPUS-3 in the first half of 2027, with a planned Biologics License Application submission in the first half of 2028.
Vaxcyte shares jumped 46.4% to $82.68 after Guggenheim raised its price target to $125 from $116 while maintaining a Buy rating.
The move followed positive topline results from the pivotal Phase 3 OPUS-1 trial of VAX-31, the company’s 31-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate. VAX-31 met all prespecified primary endpoints across the age groups studied compared with Prevnar 20 and Capvaxive.
Among adults aged 50 and older, all 28 serotypes shared with PCV20 and/or PCV21 met the trial’s noninferiority threshold. The three serotypes unique to VAX-31, along with cross-reactive serotype 20B, met the superiority criterion. VAX-31 also met the primary immunobridging endpoint across all 321 serotype comparisons in adults aged 18 to 49.
Safety was another positive, with VAX-31 showing a profile similar to PCV20 and PCV21 and no vaccine-related serious adverse events reported.
The sharp rally reflects increased confidence that VAX-31 could become a broad-spectrum competitor in the adult pneumococcal vaccine market. Vaxcyte expects additional Phase 3 data from OPUS-2 and OPUS-3 in the first half of 2027, with a planned Biologics License Application submission in the first half of 2028.
