Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Boosts Stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Arrowstreet Capital boosted its Vertex Pharmaceuticals stake by 55.8% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 212,752 shares and bringing its holding to 593,947 shares valued at about $269.3 million.
• Vertex’s latest earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $4.47 topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 while revenue came in at $2.99 billion, up 8.3% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on the stock, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $555.91, despite a few mixed rating changes and small insider sales.

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 55.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 593,947 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 212,752 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned 0.23% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $269,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 545 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 1,155 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $524,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 730 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 5,026 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,279,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRTX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $542.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $541.00 to $543.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $577.00 to $572.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $580.00 target price for the company. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $555.91.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $444.92 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $112.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.30. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $437.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $452.53. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $507.92.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.86% and a net margin of 35.51%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 318 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $423.73, for a total value of $134,746.14. Following the sale, the director owned 4,924 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,446.52. This represents a 6.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total value of $469,222.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,810,239.58. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 11,133 shares of company stock worth $4,973,106 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.

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