DAVENPORT & Co LLC Trims Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

DAVENPORT & Co LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 211,577 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 5,707 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC owned 0.08% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $95,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% in the third quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.9% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 345.0% during the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 89 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $525 (maintained Buy) after encouraging Week‑36 interim results from Vertex’s Phase 3 RAINIER study — a direct catalyst supporting higher upside expectations for Vertex’s renal program. Truist Raises Vertex (VRTX) Price Target Following Phase 3 Trial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are repricing Vertex higher on a shifting narrative beyond cystic fibrosis toward nephrology — a published fair‑value lift to ~$547.72 cites povetacicept data in IgA nephropathy and multiple price‑target upgrades, which supports a longer‑term rerating. How The Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Story Is Shifting Toward Nephrology And Beyond Cystic Fibrosis
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail/bullish commentary surfaced summarizing a Reddit thesis that highlights Vertex’s cash flow, margins and pipeline as reasons to buy; useful for sentiment but not a formal catalyst. Is Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published a note flagging increased investor attention to VRTX — this highlights elevated interest but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports circulated describing a “large increase,” but the underlying data in the feeds shows 0 shares / NaN and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover — indicating a likely reporting glitch rather than meaningful new short activity. This noisy data is unlikely to explain today’s move.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Mark E. Bunnage sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $301,537.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,542,573.40. The trade was a 7.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 2,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.79, for a total transaction of $1,122,088.91. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 35,405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,057,774.95. This trade represents a 6.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 93,485 shares of company stock valued at $43,967,586 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $448.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.26, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $468.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $441.47. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $512.71.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. The business had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.98 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRTX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $577.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $546.00 to $541.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $590.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Maxim Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $554.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Profile

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.

Vertex’s marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.