Kentucky Retirement Systems Purchases 3,152 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Kentucky Retirement Systems boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 19.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,299 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,152 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $8,618,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 545 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Cannell & Spears LLC lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.2% in the first quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 1,983 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $885,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $483.33 on Thursday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $533.67. The stock's 50-day moving average is $468.80 and its 200 day moving average is $460.09. The company has a market cap of $122.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.67, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.29.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 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 net margin of 35.51% and a return on equity of 23.86%. The firm's revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.06 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.01 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on VRTX shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $577.00 to $572.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted 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. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $559.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 1,541 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $519.00, for a total value of $799,779.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,709,519. The trade was a 12.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 318 shares of the business'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 transaction of $134,746.14. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,446.52. This trade represents a 6.07% 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 ninety days, insiders sold 18,874 shares of company stock worth $8,707,966. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

More Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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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