Janus Henderson Group PLC Reduces Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Janus Henderson Group PLC decreased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,131,527 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 90,426 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.84% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $951,795,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted 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 last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $228,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,929 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $5,311,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares during the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 604 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 26.3% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,291 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,246,000 after acquiring an additional 1,518 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $483.33 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $468.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $460.09. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $362.50 and a 52 week high of $533.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.29.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.06 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 318 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $423.73, for a total transaction of $134,746.14. Following the sale, the director owned 4,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,446.52. This represents a 6.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $524.99, for a total transaction of $787,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,321 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders sold a total of 18,874 shares of company stock worth $8,707,966 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VRTX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $543.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, June 28th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $559.61.

Trending Headlines about Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline expansion: Vertex agreed to collaborate with AbCellera Biologics on discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing multispecific T-cell engagers for autoimmune diseases and other conditions. Vertex will fund the research and retain commercialization rights, providing a potential way to diversify beyond its cystic fibrosis franchise. AbCellera, Vertex partner on next-gen T-cell engagers
• Positive Sentiment: Estimates remain supportive: Erste Group Bank modestly raised its fiscal 2026 earnings-per-share forecast for Vertex to $16.95 from $16.93. The estimate remains close to the broader consensus of $17.01, suggesting expectations for continued earnings growth are largely intact.
• Neutral Sentiment: Second-quarter results are approaching: Analysts are focused on Vertex’s quarter ended June 2026, particularly revenue, earnings and operating metrics beyond headline consensus estimates. The company’s latest reported quarter exceeded earnings expectations, with revenue of $2.99 billion and year-over-year revenue growth of 8.3%, but investors may be cautious ahead of the next release. Vertex Q2 Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is mixed: Vertex has delivered strong long-term shareholder returns, and a discounted-cash-flow analysis suggests upside. However, market-based valuation multiples indicate the shares may be closer to fairly valued, limiting the immediate impact of pipeline news unless the collaboration produces meaningful clinical or commercial progress. Vertex Expands Its Pipeline Reach

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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