Meiji Yasuda America Inc Invests $1.91 Million in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda America Inc opened a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals, buying 4,216 shares valued at about $1.91 million in the fourth quarter.
• Vertex’s CASGEVY therapy showed new clinical benefits in younger patients with severe sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, and the company is pursuing additional global regulatory submissions that could broaden its market opportunity.
• Despite some recent insider selling, Wall Street remains broadly constructive on Vertex: analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus, and the company recently beat quarterly EPS estimates while reporting 8.3% revenue growth year over year.

Meiji Yasuda America Inc acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,216 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $1,911,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,783,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $228,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.0% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,929 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $5,311,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares during the period. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.0% in the second quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 604 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 26.3% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,291 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,246,000 after acquiring an additional 1,518 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total value of $469,222.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at $8,810,239.58. The trade was a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 6,988 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $3,144,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 26,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,739,600. This trade represents a 21.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold a total of 11,133 shares of company stock worth $4,973,106 over the last ninety 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 announced new data on CASGEVY showing clinical benefits in patients ages 5 and older with severe sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, including pediatric data consistent with the therapy’s profile in older patients. The company also said it is making additional global regulatory submissions, which could expand the drug’s commercial opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent items point to supportive Wall Street views, including a “Moderate Buy” consensus and multiple higher price targets, suggesting analysts still see upside despite the stock’s recent strength.
• Neutral Sentiment: Vertex presented at the Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference, but no major new financial guidance or pipeline surprise was highlighted in the available summary. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A senior executive sold shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. While this can draw attention, the sale appears routine rather than a sign of negative business developments. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2027 EPS estimate for Vertex slightly, which may have limited enthusiasm a bit, though the change was modest and the outlook remains above current-year consensus. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRTX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $580.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $555.91.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 2.1%

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $445.04 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $112.95 billion, a PE ratio of 26.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $362.50 and a 12 month high of $507.92. The company's 50-day moving average price is $437.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $452.38.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.51% and a return on equity of 23.86%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.06 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal 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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