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

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 260 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $126,451.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,763 shares in the company, valued at $22,743,185.05. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

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

• On Friday, February 13th, Ourania Tatsis sold 1,500 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were 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 shares were 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 stock was sold at an average price of $474.99, for a total value of $2,137,455.00.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $496.83 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.21 billion, a PE ratio of 32.41 and a beta of 0.30. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $466.55 and its 200-day moving average is $431.98. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $362.50 and a 1 year high of $519.68.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). 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 analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.98 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,593,974,000. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 77.9% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,689,059 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,836,550,000 after buying an additional 2,053,156 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 49.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,356,766 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,521,851,000 after buying an additional 1,109,200 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 6,151,505 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,738,650,000 after buying an additional 1,089,063 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 17,316,344 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,850,544,000 after acquiring an additional 763,063 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Clinical safety expansion — Vertex announced a new study to evaluate VX‑548 (an investigational pain drug) in breastfeeding women, broadening the drug’s safety profile and de‑risking development pathways if results are supportive. Vertex Expands VX‑548 Safety Profile With New Breastfeeding Study
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership/PR tailwind — TIME profiled CEO Reshma Kewalramani, reinforcing investor confidence in management’s execution and Vertex’s strategy to expand beyond cystic fibrosis. Physician‑Scientist Reshma Kewalramani Runs One of Biotech’s Biggest Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — recent upgrades and raised price targets (several firms highlighted in coverage) help underpin the stock and attract buy‑side interest. MarketBeat VRTX analyst coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly fundamentals — Q4 revenue rose ~9.5% y/y and margins remain strong, though EPS missed by $0.02 (reported $5.03 vs. $5.05 consensus); this is a small miss that keeps the longer‑term thesis intact but mutes near‑term upside. Vertex recent earnings summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum/coverage — pieces asking whether VRTX is outperforming major indices may draw momentum flows but do not represent new fundamental catalysts. Is Vertex Stock Outperforming the Dow?
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling — multiple senior executives disclosed sales between Feb. 19–25, including a large sale by EVP Amit Sachdev (~58,613 shares, ~ $27.5M) and several other EVPs reducing positions. Such concentrated insider sales can create near‑term negative sentiment even if driven by diversification or tax planning. Representative SEC filing: SEC Form 4 – Amit Sachdev
• Negative Sentiment: Additional officer sale — CAO Kristen Ambrose sold 223 shares (minor relative to the EVP sales) but is part of the broader disclosure set that traders are reacting to. Vertex insider sales roundup

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $577.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $548.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Twenty-two research 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, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $542.00.

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.