Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Stock Sold by AIA Group Ltd

Key Points

• AIA Group cut its Vertex stake by 23.8% in the third quarter, selling 7,521 shares; it retained 24,080 shares valued at about $12.6 million.
• Vertex reported quarterly revenue of $3.44 billion, up 11.8% year over year and above estimates, but adjusted earnings of $4.76 per share fell short of the $4.82 consensus.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $596.11; the shares opened at $530.76 after a reported 4% decline.

AIA Group Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,080 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 7,521 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $12,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,975,849,000. State Street Corp raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,871,459 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $5,896,910,000 after acquiring an additional 141,320 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.1% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,247,658 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,613,209,000 after acquiring an additional 35,069 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,086,683 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,533,248,000 after purchasing an additional 29,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at $1,509,651,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 4.0%

VRTX opened at $530.76 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $134.71 billion, a PE ratio of 32.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.28. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $403.16 and a twelve month high of $568.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $522.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $480.37.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.82 by ($0.06). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 22.40% and a net margin of 30.70%. The firm had revenue of $3.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.80 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 11.8% year over year to $3.44 billion, topping estimates, supported by Vertex’s cystic-fibrosis franchise and growth from newer medicines including CASGEVY and JOURNAVX. The company also raised its 2026 sales outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management expressed confidence in the anticipated launch of povetacicept for IgA nephropathy ahead of an FDA decision, an important potential growth driver beyond cystic fibrosis. Several analysts also raised their price targets after the results. Read More. · Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings of $4.76 per share fell short of estimates. Acquisition and launch-related spending weighed on profit, while sales of the newer pain drug JOURNAVX were described as light—dampening the market’s reaction to the revenue beat. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $665.00 to $660.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $595.00 to $619.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $596.11.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is a global biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing medicines for serious diseases. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the company applies expertise in the science of human disease to discover therapies that address significant unmet medical needs.

Vertex is best known for its cystic fibrosis portfolio, which includes Kalydeco, Orkambi, Symdeko/Symkevi, and Trikafta/Kaftrio. These medicines target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis for patients with specific mutations in the CFTR gene.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.