Baker Chad R Cuts Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Baker Chad R decreased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 92.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 750 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 8,990 shares during the quarter. Baker Chad R’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% during 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 increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% in 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 period. Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.9% during 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 boosted its holdings 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 period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist Financial upgraded Vertex to “strong-buy”, providing near-term analyst momentum and potential buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS estimate for VRTX (to $19.48 from $19.31), signaling growing analyst confidence in Vertex’s longer-term earnings trajectory versus current consensus. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Headline coverage notes Vertex recently outperformed the market, reflecting short-term buying interest and positive sentiment among investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces suggest recent volatility may present a buying opportunity for long-term investors, but these are opinion-driven and depend on risk tolerance and time horizon. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Maze Therapeutics reported positive Phase II data for an APOL1-targeted kidney drug — a potential rival to Vertex’s candidate — introducing competitive risk that could affect Vertex’s addressable market and future revenue assumptions. Read More.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $453.74 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $115.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.31. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $362.50 and a fifty-two week high of $510.77. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $469.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $441.65.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.98 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on VRTX shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $577.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $606.00 to $607.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $554.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Charles F. Wagner, Jr. sold 9,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $461.00, for a total value of $4,394,252.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 37,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,391,225. This represents a 20.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $474.99, for a total transaction of $2,137,455.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,088,752.07. This represents a 9.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 93,485 shares of company stock worth $43,967,586. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.