Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC trimmed its stake in Vertex by 12.3%, selling 5,572 shares and leaving it with 39,804 shares valued at about $15.59 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• The company saw notable insider selling this quarter — executives (including two EVPs) and other insiders sold a total of 91,156 shares worth roughly $42.85 million, leaving insiders with just 0.20% ownership.
• Analyst sentiment has turned bullish with multiple upgrades and higher targets (average target ≈ $553.36, Oppenheimer at $600), though the stock recently pulled back and Vertex slightly missed quarterly EPS by $0.02.

Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 12.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 39,804 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 5,572 shares during the quarter. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $15,589,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,783,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 1,326 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 62,981 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $28,039,000 after acquiring an additional 4,256 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 707 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 419.2% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 115,640 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $51,483,000 after purchasing an additional 93,367 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of VRTX opened at $469.34 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $362.50 and a 52 week high of $519.68. The firm has a market cap of $119.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $470.03 and a 200-day moving average of $438.12.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.98 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several major analysts raised coverage and targets for VRTX, boosting bullish sentiment and shorter-term buying interest. Oppenheimer Raises Vertex Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: VRTX Price Target to $600.00
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades translated into intraday strength earlier in the week (shares traded notably higher on upgrade headlines), signaling renewed investor appetite. Vertex Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: VRTX Trading 9.9% Higher on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: New research coverage from Jefferies adds another channel for institutional visibility and could support longer-term demand. Vertex Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: VRTX Research Coverage Started at Jefferies Financial Group
• Positive Sentiment: Retail and media interest has picked up — headlines highlighting a recent ~8% jump are drawing attention from momentum traders. This helps explain recent volume spikes and short-term volatility. This Stock Just Jumped By 8%: Is It Too Late to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: “Trending stock” write-ups from Zacks/Yahoo summarize catalysts and risks for new readers; useful for context but unlikely to move price by themselves. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses that list reasons to watch VRTX (growth from cystic fibrosis and extending franchises) and one caution help frame investor decisions but don’t introduce a new catalyst. 2 Reasons to Watch VRTX and 1 to Stay Cautious
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance pieces and market-focus coverage provide background on investor returns and index attention; helpful for positioning but not immediate drivers. If You Invested $1000 In Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock 20 Years Ago...
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upgrades, the stock has retraced from the immediate highs — recent intraday declines and a prior small earnings EPS miss (Feb quarter EPS slightly below consensus) leave some investors taking profits. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market

Insider Activity

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 1,846 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $897,802.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,570 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,026,469.50. This represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total transaction of $2,394,361.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,562,646.35. The trade was a 21.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 91,156 shares of company stock valued at $42,845,497 over the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $590.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $577.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $580.00 target price on the stock. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $553.36.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.

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