Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Holdings Increased by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 49.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,356,766 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,109,200 shares during the period. Vertex Pharmaceuticals makes up about 0.9% of Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,521,851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $64,417,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.8% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 544,978 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $213,435,000 after acquiring an additional 20,053 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $956,000. ING Groep NV purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $4,695,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 23.8% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 447,169 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $202,612,000 after acquiring an additional 86,084 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRTX stock opened at $444.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $112.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $437.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $452.33. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $362.50 and a 52 week high of $507.92.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.51% and a return on equity of 23.86%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.06 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $591.00 to $641.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $590.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $555.91.

More Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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 Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total transaction of $469,222.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,810,239.58. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 318 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $423.73, for a total transaction of $134,746.14. Following the sale, the director owned 4,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,446.52. This represents a 6.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 11,133 shares of company stock worth $4,973,106. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.