Erste Asset Management GmbH Has $26.69 Million Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Erste Asset Management GmbH trimmed its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 8.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 67,517 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 6,386 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $26,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% in the third quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the 3rd 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. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting 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)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Mark E. Bunnage sold 620 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $301,537.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,542,573.40. The trade was a 7.84% 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. Also, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 1,846 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $897,802.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,026,469.50. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 168,937 shares of company stock valued at $77,879,922 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on VRTX shares. HC Wainwright set a $591.00 price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $577.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $606.00 to $607.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $542.00.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $480.13 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $465.74 and its 200-day moving average is $431.13. The company has a market capitalization of $121.97 billion, a PE ratio of 31.32 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $519.68.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its 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 the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current 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.