Korea Investment CORP Sells 12,310 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Korea Investment CORP trimmed its Vertex stake by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 12,310 shares and ending with 193,435 shares valued at about $87.7 million.
• Insider selling has continued, including CMO Carmen Bozic’s sale of 6,988 shares and Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia’s sale of 318 shares; insiders sold 11,133 shares total over the past 90 days.
• Vertex reported solid quarterly results, beating EPS expectations with $4.47 per share and posting 8.3% revenue growth year over year, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy.”

Korea Investment CORP lessened its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 193,435 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 12,310 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned approximately 0.08% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $87,696,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 545 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 730 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $2,279,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 7,005 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,176,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 6,988 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $3,144,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 26,088 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,739,600. This represents a 21.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $423.73, for a total value of $134,746.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,446.52. The trade was a 6.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 11,133 shares of company stock valued at $4,973,106 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $444.92 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $362.50 and a twelve month high of $507.92. The company has a market cap of $112.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.30. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $437.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $452.33.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.06 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VRTX. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $580.00 price target for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $590.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $555.91.

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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