Bank of America Corp DE Sells 58,847 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Bank of America reduced its Vertex Pharmaceuticals stake by 2%, selling 58,847 shares and retaining 2.88 million shares valued at approximately $1.29 billion. Institutional investors collectively own 90.96% of Vertex.
• Vertex insiders sold 17,770 shares worth $8.24 million over the past three months, including two executive sales conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $559.61, while investors weigh Vertex’s $10 billion Crinetics acquisition and collaboration with AbCellera against potential integration and valuation risks.

Bank of America Corp DE cut its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,878,183 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 58,847 shares during the quarter. Bank of America Corp DE owned about 1.13% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $1,285,224,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $1,440,149,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 49.4% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,356,766 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,521,851,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109,200 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 17,316,344 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,850,544,000 after buying an additional 763,063 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $166,317,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 520.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 381,195 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $149,291,000 after buying an additional 319,725 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 1,541 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $519.00, for a total value of $799,779.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,709,519. This trade represents a 12.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 1,500 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $524.99, for a total value of $787,485.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,793,071.79. The trade was a 3.20% 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 17,770 shares of company stock valued at $8,238,744. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on VRTX. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $437.00 to $436.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $559.61.

Key Stories Impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex’s planned $10 billion acquisition of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals would add endocrine assets and broaden its growth pipeline beyond cystic fibrosis. The deal also highlights Vertex’s willingness to use its strong cash-generation profile to pursue new growth opportunities. Vertex Just Paid $10 Billion for Crinetics
• Positive Sentiment: Vertex and AbCellera announced a collaboration to discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize multispecific T-cell engagers for autoimmune diseases and other conditions. Vertex will fund the research and retain commercialization rights, potentially expanding its long-term pipeline into new therapeutic areas. AbCellera, Vertex partner on next-gen T-cell engagers
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its Vertex EPS forecast to $16.95 for fiscal 2026 and $19.26 for fiscal 2027. The 2027 estimate is above the broader consensus of $17.01 for the current year, indicating improving analyst expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerages maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. However, valuation opinions remain divided: discounted-cash-flow analysis suggests upside, while market-based multiples appear closer to fair value after the shares’ strong longer-term performance. Vertex Receives Moderate Buy Recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also focused on Vertex’s second-quarter 2026 results. Pre-earnings coverage is emphasizing operating metrics and pipeline progress, but no new quarterly results were reported in these articles, leaving near-term direction dependent on the upcoming release.
• Negative Sentiment: The Crinetics acquisition represents a substantial financial commitment and could pressure Vertex’s valuation if integration is difficult, development costs rise or the acquired pipeline fails to produce meaningful revenue. This appears to be the principal source of caution behind the recent weakness.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $481.70 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $469.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $460.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.29. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $362.50 and a 1 year high of $533.67.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.23. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.86% and a net margin of 35.51%.The company had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.06 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.01 EPS for the current year.

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.

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