Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Purchased by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 55.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 593,947 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 212,752 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $269,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 277.8% during the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 68 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $444.92 on Monday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $362.50 and a fifty-two week high of $507.92. The firm has a market cap of $112.92 billion, a PE ratio of 26.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.30. The business’s fifty day moving average is $437.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $452.53.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.23. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.86% and a net margin of 35.51%.The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.06 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VRTX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Bank of America increased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $542.00 price target on the stock. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $555.91.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex received bullish attention from market commentary highlighting that Wall Street remains interested in the stock despite a bearish “death cross” technical setup, suggesting investors are focusing more on the company’s fundamentals than the chart pattern. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced new CASGEVY data at the European Hematology Association Congress, including the first European presentation of results in children ages 5–11 and additional global regulatory submissions, which could support longer-term growth for the gene-editing therapy. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage have been broadly upbeat on Vertex, including pieces describing it as a favored healthcare stock and a stock some investors view as attractive to buy now, reinforcing confidence in the name. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate for Vertex to $19.24 from $19.36, a small revision that may not materially change the long-term outlook but is a minor headwind for sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The stock has also experienced a recent pullback in some sessions, reflecting normal volatility and some profit-taking even as the broader narrative remains constructive. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 6,988 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $3,144,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 26,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,739,600. This trade represents a 21.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 318 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $423.73, for a total value of $134,746.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,924 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,446.52. This trade represents a 6.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 11,133 shares of company stock valued at $4,973,106 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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.