Shepherd Street Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 2,995 Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Shepherd Street Advisors LLC initiated a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter, buying 2,995 shares valued at about $1.36 million. The stake makes up roughly 1.3% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Vertex’s pipeline got a boost after the FDA accepted its Biologics License Application for povetacicept in IgA nephropathy, with a decision expected by November 30, 2026. If approved, it could become Vertex’s first commercial nephrology product and broaden the company beyond cystic fibrosis.
• The stock has been under some pressure despite solid fundamentals: Vertex recently reported better-than-expected EPS of $4.47 and revenue growth of 8.3%, but shares are down and investors remain cautious after JOURNAVX and Casgevy sales missed expectations.

Shepherd Street Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,995 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $1,358,000. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises approximately 1.3% of Shepherd Street Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,440,149,000. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 77.9% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,689,059 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,836,550,000 after acquiring an additional 2,053,156 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 16,553,281 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $6,482,978,000 after acquiring an additional 444,990 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $166,317,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 520.1% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 381,195 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $149,291,000 after acquiring an additional 319,725 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex announced that the FDA accepted its Biologics License Application for povetacicept in adults with IgA nephropathy, putting the drug on track for a November 30, 2026 decision date. If approved, this could become Vertex’s first commercial nephrology product and help diversify the business beyond cystic fibrosis. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Vertex also received recognition for JOURNAVX, which was named a Premier, Inc. Breakthroughs Innovation Celebration winner, adding another positive headline for its pain franchise. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent commentary pieces highlighted that Vertex remains a high-quality cash-flow generator with a strong cystic fibrosis franchise, but also noted that the stock has been consolidating and is being watched closely for whether it offers a better entry point. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remained supportive, with reports saying Wall Street is still broadly optimistic about Vertex despite recent underperformance versus the healthcare sector. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent trading has reflected some investor caution after JOURNAVX and Casgevy sales missed expectations, and Vertex stock has been under pressure over the past few months even though its cystic fibrosis business and renal pipeline remain intact. Article Title

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 3.0%

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $425.09 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $438.67 and its 200-day moving average is $451.92. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $507.92. The firm has a market cap of $107.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.23. The business 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%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.06 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.99 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRTX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $591.00 to $641.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, 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 research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $555.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 20,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,810,239.58. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 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 sale, the director directly owned 4,924 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,446.52. This trade represents 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,717 shares of company stock valued at $5,309,945. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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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