Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Sells 6,346 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado reduced its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 329,745 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 6,346 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $149,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 38,004 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $17,229,000 after acquiring an additional 3,773 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 128,465 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $58,242,000 after acquiring an additional 18,214 shares during the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Fieldview Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $214,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 87,728 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $39,772,000 after acquiring an additional 3,882 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 6,988 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $3,144,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 26,088 shares in the company, valued at $11,739,600. The trade was a 21.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total transaction of $469,222.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at $8,810,239.58. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 11,133 shares of company stock worth $4,973,106 over the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $444.92 on Monday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $362.50 and a 1 year high of $507.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $437.14 and its 200 day moving average is $452.53. The stock has a market capitalization 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.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.23. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.51% and a return on equity of 23.86%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.06 earnings per share. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on VRTX shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $580.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Maxim Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $437.00 to $436.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $555.91.

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.