Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Acquired by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management increased its Vertex Pharmaceuticals stake by 49.4% in the fourth quarter, adding 1.11 million shares and lifting its holdings to 3.36 million shares worth about $1.52 billion.
• Vertex continues to attract mostly bullish analyst coverage, with 22 Buy ratings and only three Hold ratings. The stock’s consensus price target is $555.91, while several firms recently raised or maintained positive ratings and targets.
• The company reported solid quarterly results, posting EPS of $4.47 versus expectations of $4.24 and revenue of $2.99 billion, up 8.3% year over year. Recent updates on CASGEVY data and regulatory submissions also highlight ongoing growth potential in its gene-editing therapy pipeline.

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 49.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,356,766 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,109,200 shares during the period. Vertex Pharmaceuticals makes up 0.9% of Victory Capital Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 1.32% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $1,521,851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 277.8% during the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 68 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 318 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $423.73, for a total value of $134,746.14. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,446.52. This trade represents a 6.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total transaction of $469,222.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,810,239.58. The trade was a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on VRTX. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $541.00 to $543.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised 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. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $555.91.

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

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $444.92 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $437.14 and its 200-day moving average is $452.33. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $362.50 and a 1 year high of $507.92. The company has a market cap of $112.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.23. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.51% and a return on equity of 23.86%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.06 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side 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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