Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Decreases Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado trimmed its Vertex Pharmaceuticals stake by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 329,745 shares worth about $149.5 million at quarter-end.
• Vertex reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with EPS of $4.47 versus the $4.24 consensus, while revenue came in at $2.99 billion and rose 8.3% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive: the stock has a Moderate Buy rating overall, with 22 Buy ratings and an average target price of $555.91.

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lowered its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 329,745 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 6,346 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado owned 0.13% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $149,493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 1,155 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 318 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $423.73, for a total transaction of $134,746.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,924 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,446.52. The trade was a 6.07% decrease in their position. The transaction 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, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total transaction of $469,222.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,810,239.58. This trade represents a 5.06% 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 sold 11,133 shares of company stock worth $4,973,106 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

VRTX opened at $444.92 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $437.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $452.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $362.50 and a one year high of $507.92.

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 during 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.06 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VRTX shares. HC Wainwright raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $591.00 to $641.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $577.00 to $572.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, 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 price objective for the company. 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. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $555.91.

More Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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 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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