Trillium Asset Management LLC Has $28.57 Million Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Trillium Asset Management cut its Vertex Pharmaceuticals stake by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, but still held 62,693 shares valued at about $28.57 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other investors owning 90.96% of Vertex; meanwhile, several executives recently sold shares in pre-arranged trades.
• Vertex continues to post solid operating results and positive coverage: its latest quarter beat EPS expectations, revenue rose 8.3% year over year, and analysts overall maintain a Moderate Buy rating with an average target price of $555.91.

Trillium Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 62,693 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 5,692 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $28,572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $1,440,149,000. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 77.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,689,059 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,836,550,000 after acquiring an additional 2,053,156 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 17,316,344 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,850,544,000 after acquiring an additional 763,063 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $166,317,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 520.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 381,195 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $149,291,000 after acquiring an additional 319,725 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total value of $469,222.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,810,239.58. The trade was a 5.06% decrease in their position. The sale 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, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 1,745 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $785,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 21,015 shares in the company, valued at $9,456,750. This represents a 7.67% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,133 shares of company stock worth $4,973,106. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRTX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 30th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $555.91.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $444.92 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average is $437.14 and its 200 day moving average is $452.33. The company 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 fifty-two week low of $362.50 and a fifty-two week high of $507.92.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.51% and a return on equity of 23.86%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.06 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

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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