Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Sold by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Key Points

• Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC trimmed its Vertex position by 5.1% in Q3, selling 22,418 shares and retaining 418,509 shares valued at about $163.9 million; institutional investors hold roughly 90.96% of VRTX.
• Insider selling has been notable: two EVPs sold shares in early January (Charles Wagner Jr. sold 9,532 shares at $461 and Ourania Tatsis sold 4,500 at $474.99), and insiders offloaded 91,156 shares worth ~$42.85 million over the last quarter, leaving insiders with just 0.20% ownership.
• Analyst upgrades are boosting bullish sentiment—Oppenheimer raised its target to $600, Jefferies initiated coverage with a $580 buy rating, and Bank of America lifted its target to $598—giving VRTX an average analyst target of about $553.36.

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC decreased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 5.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 418,509 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 22,418 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned 0.16% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $163,905,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.9% in the third quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 345.0% during the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 89 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Charles F. Wagner, Jr. sold 9,532 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $461.00, for a total transaction of $4,394,252.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,391,225. This trade represents a 20.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 4,500 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $474.99, for a total value of $2,137,455.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,293 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,088,752.07. The trade was a 9.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 91,156 shares of company stock valued at $42,845,497 over the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several major analysts raised coverage and targets for VRTX, boosting bullish sentiment and shorter-term buying interest. Oppenheimer Raises Vertex Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: VRTX Price Target to $600.00
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades translated into intraday strength earlier in the week (shares traded notably higher on upgrade headlines), signaling renewed investor appetite. Vertex Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: VRTX Trading 9.9% Higher on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: New research coverage from Jefferies adds another channel for institutional visibility and could support longer-term demand. Vertex Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: VRTX Research Coverage Started at Jefferies Financial Group
• Positive Sentiment: Retail and media interest has picked up — headlines highlighting a recent ~8% jump are drawing attention from momentum traders. This helps explain recent volume spikes and short-term volatility. This Stock Just Jumped By 8%: Is It Too Late to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: “Trending stock” write-ups from Zacks/Yahoo summarize catalysts and risks for new readers; useful for context but unlikely to move price by themselves. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses that list reasons to watch VRTX (growth from cystic fibrosis and extending franchises) and one caution help frame investor decisions but don’t introduce a new catalyst. 2 Reasons to Watch VRTX and 1 to Stay Cautious
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance pieces and market-focus coverage provide background on investor returns and index attention; helpful for positioning but not immediate drivers. If You Invested $1000 In Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock 20 Years Ago...
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upgrades, the stock has retraced from the immediate highs — recent intraday declines and a prior small earnings EPS miss (Feb quarter EPS slightly below consensus) leave some investors taking profits. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VRTX shares. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $580.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target 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. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $553.36.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $469.34 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $362.50 and a fifty-two week high of $519.68. The stock's fifty day moving average is $470.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $438.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.62, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.31.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. The company had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.98 earnings per share. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

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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