Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 21,249 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its stake in Vertex by 3.9%, buying 21,249 shares to hold 566,227 shares worth about $256 million (≈0.22% of the company).
• Vertex beat Q1 EPS ($4.47 vs. $4.24) and reported $2.99B in revenue (up 8.3% YoY), and reiterated full‑year 2026 guidance of roughly $13.0–13.1B, though the mixed details led to a ~1.3% share dip.
• Insiders have sold 81,853 shares (≈$38.5M) in the last 90 days, yet analysts remain mostly bullish with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average target near $554.83.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 566,227 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 21,249 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.22% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $256,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,216,865 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $9,484,293,000 after purchasing an additional 243,088 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 16,553,281 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $6,482,978,000 after buying an additional 444,990 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 77.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,689,059 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,836,550,000 after buying an additional 2,053,156 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,522,586 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,771,226,000 after buying an additional 144,266 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,276,927 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $891,744,000 after buying an additional 95,565 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 58,613 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.83, for a total transaction of $27,479,532.79. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 58,934 shares in the company, valued at $27,630,027.22. This trade represents a 49.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total value of $2,394,361.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,562,646.35. This trade represents a 21.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 81,853 shares of company stock valued at $38,479,135 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat on EPS and showed revenue growth driven by product sales; management highlighted broad portfolio strength and pipeline progress, supporting longer‑term growth thesis. Business Wire: Vertex Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Sales of new CF therapies and other recently launched products accelerated, contributing materially to product revenue growth and suggesting multiple near‑term commercial growth engines. Reuters: Vertex tops profit estimates as sales of new cystic fibrosis drug surge
• Neutral Sentiment: Vertex reiterated full‑year 2026 revenue guidance (~$13.0B–$13.1B), roughly in line with consensus — supportive for guidance stability but not a clear upside catalyst. Investor Slide Deck / Press Release (Q1 2026)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts revised models and price targets after the Q1 release — many maintained Outperform/Buy views but trimmed targets, reflecting mixed near‑term readings despite constructive longer‑term views. Benzinga: These Analysts Revise Their Forecasts On Vertex After Q1 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling was reported this week (EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares; director Sangeeta Bhatia sold 318 shares). Trades were executed under 10b5‑1 plans, but active insider sales can weigh on sentiment. SEC Form 4 (Joy Liu) SEC Form 4 (Sangeeta Bhatia)
• Negative Sentiment: Shares dipped after the mixed report (EPS/revenue beats but some metrics and commentary left investors cautious), prompting near‑term profit‑taking and PT trims. Yahoo Finance: Vertex Dips On Mixed First‑Quarter Report

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $424.36 on Wednesday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $452.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $449.59. The company has a market cap of $107.94 billion, a PE ratio of 25.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $362.50 and a twelve month high of $507.92.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 35.51%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.06 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 target price for the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $541.00 to $543.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $554.83.

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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