Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB Cuts Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB decreased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 27.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 34,255 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 12,700 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises about 1.5% of Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $15,530,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $1,440,149,000. Capital International Investors raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 77.9% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,689,059 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,836,550,000 after acquiring an additional 2,053,156 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 17,316,344 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,850,544,000 after acquiring an additional 763,063 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $166,317,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 520.1% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 381,195 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $149,291,000 after acquiring an additional 319,725 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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: 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

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 1,745 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $785,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 21,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,456,750. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $423.73, for a total value of $134,746.14. Following the transaction, the director 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the topic of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America upped 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 lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 30th. Barclays upped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $577.00 to $572.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $555.91.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.0%

VRTX opened at $444.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $112.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $362.50 and a 52 week high of $507.92. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $437.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $452.33.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.86% and a net margin of 35.51%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.06 earnings per share. As a group, equities 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.