Aviva PLC Buys 11,322 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Aviva PLC increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 216,211 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,322 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.09% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $98,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 545 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 730 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 5,026 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,279,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Glenview Trust Co increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 7,005 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,176,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 1,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $785,250.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 21,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,456,750. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total value of $469,222.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at $8,810,239.58. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,133 shares of company stock valued at $4,973,106. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VRTX. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $437.00 to $436.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $577.00 to $572.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $542.00 price objective for the company. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $555.91.

Trending Headlines about Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex announced new data on CASGEVY showing clinical benefits in patients ages 5 and older with severe sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, including pediatric data consistent with the therapy’s profile in older patients. The company also said it is making additional global regulatory submissions, which could expand the drug’s commercial opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent items point to supportive Wall Street views, including a “Moderate Buy” consensus and multiple higher price targets, suggesting analysts still see upside despite the stock’s recent strength.
• Neutral Sentiment: Vertex presented at the Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference, but no major new financial guidance or pipeline surprise was highlighted in the available summary. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A senior executive sold shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. While this can draw attention, the sale appears routine rather than a sign of negative business developments. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2027 EPS estimate for Vertex slightly, which may have limited enthusiasm a bit, though the change was modest and the outlook remains above current-year consensus. Article Title

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $445.04 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $112.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.30. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $437.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $452.38. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $507.92.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.06 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.