Key Points
- Amit Sachdev, EVP, sold 58,613 shares on Feb. 19 at an average price of $468.83 for about $27.48 million, leaving him with 58,934 shares — roughly a 49.86% reduction in his position.
- Multiple senior executives disclosed sales between Feb. 19–25, producing clustered insider selling that could create near‑term negative sentiment even if driven by diversification or tax planning.
- Company fundamentals remain strong — Q4 revenue rose ~9.5% y/y and analysts have been raising targets (consensus price target ~$542), though EPS missed by $0.02 and the stock sits at a market cap of about $126B.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) EVP Amit Sachdev sold 58,613 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.83, for a total value of $27,479,532.79. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 58,934 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,630,027.22. This represents a 49.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.
Amit Sachdev also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Wednesday, February 25th, Amit Sachdev sold 1,846 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $897,802.10.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 3.5%
Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $496.83 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $519.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $466.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $431.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.41 and a beta of 0.30.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 24.30% and a net margin of 32.94%.The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.98 earnings per share. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $548.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $606.00 to $607.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $542.00.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Vertex Pharmaceuticals
More Vertex Pharmaceuticals News
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
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,393 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 38,147 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $16,983,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Leuthold Group LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at about $5,030,000. Advisory Resource Group bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $1,286,000. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 41.8% during the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 23,569 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $9,231,000 after buying an additional 6,942 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.
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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