Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) CAO Kristen Ambrose sold 223 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $108,456.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,395,209.35. This trade represents a 3.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Kristen Ambrose also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Wednesday, February 11th, Kristen Ambrose sold 1,376 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total value of $633,551.68.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.4%
NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $487.02 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $465.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $431.13. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $519.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.72 billion, a PE ratio of 31.35 and a beta of 0.30.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its 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). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.98 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% during the third quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.
More Vertex Pharmaceuticals News
Here are the key news stories impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Positive leadership/PR — TIME profiled CEO Reshma Kewalramani, highlighting strong leadership and execution at Vertex, which supports investor confidence in long‑term strategy. Physician-Scientist Reshma Kewalramani Runs One of Biotech’s Biggest Companies
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism — several firms have raised price targets and reiterated overweight/outperform ratings (consensus remains a Moderate Buy), providing support for the stock. MarketBeat VRTX analyst coverage
- Neutral Sentiment: Fundamentals mixed but healthy — Q4 revenue grew ~9.5% y/y and margins remain strong, but EPS missed by $0.02 (reported $5.03 vs. $5.05 consensus), a small miss that tempers near‑term upside but doesn’t change the long‑term story. Vertex recent earnings summary
- Neutral Sentiment: Market attention/relative strength pieces highlight momentum — coverage asking whether VRTX is outperforming the Dow may attract momentum and quality buyers, but is not a new fundamental catalyst. Is Vertex Stock Outperforming the Dow?
- Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling — multiple executives sold shares on Feb. 19–25, most notably EVP Amit Sachdev (58,613 shares, ~ $27.5M) and several other EVPs/offsicers who reduced holdings; investors often interpret clustered senior‑management sales as a negative near‑term signal (though sales can reflect diversification or tax planning). Representative SEC filing for Amit Sachdev: SEC Form 4 - Amit Sachdev
- Negative Sentiment: Clustered executive sales reported in aggregation — multiple Form 4 disclosures (Feb. 25) were publicized by InsiderTrades/MarketBeat and are likely the proximate cause of today’s downward pressure. Vertex insider sales roundup
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts have weighed in on VRTX shares. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $540.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, 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. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $542.00.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on VRTX
About Vertex Pharmaceuticals
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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