Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Ourania Tatsis Sells 260 Shares

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 260 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $126,451.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,743,185.05. This trade represents a 0.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Ourania Tatsis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, February 13th, Ourania Tatsis sold 1,500 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $499.99, for a total value of $749,985.00.
• On Wednesday, February 11th, Ourania Tatsis sold 466 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total value of $214,560.38.
• On Wednesday, January 7th, Ourania Tatsis sold 4,500 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $474.99, for a total value of $2,137,455.00.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX traded down $2.92 during trading on Thursday, reaching $480.13. The company had a trading volume of 1,305,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,523,726. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $519.68. The business’s 50-day moving average is $465.08 and its 200 day moving average is $430.79. The stock has a market cap of $121.97 billion, a PE ratio of 31.32 and a beta of 0.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). The firm 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.98 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VRTX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $546.00 to $541.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $570.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $577.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $542.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,783,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 455 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $203,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,701 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $243,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 21.5% during the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 6,151,505 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,738,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089,063 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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)

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.