Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Mark Bunnage Sells 620 Shares

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Mark Bunnage sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $301,537.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,542,573.40. This represents a 7.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of VRTX opened at $480.13 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $465.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $431.13. The firm has a market cap of $121.97 billion, a PE ratio of 31.32 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $519.68.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on VRTX. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research raised 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $606.00 to $607.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $542.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 39,035 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $17,378,000 after buying an additional 1,393 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.5% in the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 38,147 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $16,983,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at about $5,030,000. Advisory Resource Group acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $1,286,000. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 23,569 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $9,231,000 after purchasing an additional 6,942 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Reshma Kewalramani profiled by TIME as a physician-scientist running one of biotech’s largest companies — positive PR that supports confidence in leadership and long-term strategy. Physician-Scientist Reshma Kewalramani Runs One of Biotech’s Biggest Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage asking whether VRTX is outperforming the Dow highlights recent relative strength and investor interest in Vertex’s growth profile — supports demand from momentum/quality investors. Is Vertex Stock Outperforming the Dow?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary pieces (e.g., Nasdaq‑100 roundup) raise attention but are mixed in tone and not specific to new catalysts for Vertex. 2 Nasdaq 100 Stocks Worth Your Attention and 1 We Question
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent Q4 results (reported Feb. 12) showed revenue growth (~+9.5% y/y) and margin strength but a very slight EPS miss (reported $5.03 vs. $5.05 consensus). Fundamentals remain solid, but the tiny miss tempers upside catalysts in the near term.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales disclosed in SEC filings — including a large sale by EVP Amit Sachdev (58,613 shares sold, ~$27.5M) and several sales by other executives on Feb. 25 — may be weighing on the stock as investors interpret reduced insider holdings as a negative signal (though sales can reflect diversification or tax planning). Representative SEC filing: SEC Form 4 – Amit Sachdev

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.