Insider Selling: Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Sells 945 Shares of Stock

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Jonathan Biller sold 945 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $459,600.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,643,054.65. This represents a 6.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Jonathan Biller also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 11th, Jonathan Biller sold 1,925 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total transaction of $886,327.75.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ VRTX traded down $2.92 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $480.13. 1,305,189 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,523,726. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $465.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $430.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.32 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $362.50 and a 52 week high of $519.68.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on VRTX. Evercore boosted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $540.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $542.00.

Trending Headlines about Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Profile of CEO Reshma Kewalramani in TIME highlights strong leadership and continued R&D momentum, which can support investor confidence in Vertex’s long-term pipeline and strategy. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary noting Vertex’s relative performance vs. the Dow suggests the stock still has investor interest and can attract momentum buyers after pullbacks. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: General coverage in Nasdaq-100 roundup pieces points to continued attention from index investors and analysts — useful for liquidity and index-fund flows but not an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent Q4 results (Feb 12) showed revenue growth (~9.5% y/y) but a tiny EPS miss ($5.03 vs. $5.05 consensus). Fundamentals remain strong, but the small miss tempers near-term upside until forward guidance or pipeline news arrives. (Earnings release/public filings)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales by several senior execs on Feb 25 — including large disposals such as EVP Duncan McKechnie (4,910 shares; ~21.9% reduction) and several other EVPs/CAO — collectively amount to roughly $4.6M in disclosed sales. Clustered insider selling can trigger short-term selling pressure and signals profit-taking or personal liquidity needs rather than company weakness, but markets often interpret heavy insider sales as a negative near-term indicator. SEC Filing (example)

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its position 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company 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.