Wealthfront Advisers LLC Boosts Stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in Vertex by 15.5% in Q4 to 43,169 shares, valued at about $19.57 million.
• Institutional ownership is very high at approximately 90.96%, with several hedge funds and advisory firms recently boosting or initiating positions in VRTX.
• Analysts are generally positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $555, while Vertex trades at a market cap of $109.4 billion and a PE of 28.06.

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 15.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,169 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 5,796 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $19,571,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,783,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth about $228,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,929 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $5,311,000 after purchasing an additional 986 shares in the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 604 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 26.3% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,291 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,518 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist upgraded VRTX to "strong-buy", a near-term bullish catalyst that can attract buyer interest and support the stock while investors await earnings. Zacks Truist Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $19.56 (from $19.48), signaling confidence in longer-term earnings power and product mix. (No link available in feed)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 earnings preview: analysts expect continued strength in Trikafta, higher Alyftrek sales and initial revenue contribution from Casgevy and Journavx; May 4 earnings should clarify growth cadence and margins. Zacks Q1 Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Erste trimmed FY2026 EPS slightly to $16.82 (from $16.90), a modest downgrade that could temper near-term expectations even though the change is small. (No link available in feed)
• Negative Sentiment: Conestoga Capital disclosed it exited VRTX, citing valuation that no longer offers a favorable risk-reward — institutional selling or position trimming can apply downward pressure on the stock. Conestoga Exit
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses highlighting recent share-price weakness and valuation questions add to cautious sentiment after a short-term pullback; watch trading momentum into earnings. Valuation Article

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore boosted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Maxim Group raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $575.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $555.00.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.0%

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $430.14 on Wednesday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $510.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $455.60 and a 200-day moving average of $449.26. The firm has a market cap of $109.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.36.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. The company's revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.98 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 2,329 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.79, for a total transaction of $1,122,088.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 35,405 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,057,774.95. This represents a 6.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark E. Bunnage sold 2,021 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total value of $930,529.03. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,945,993.02. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 80,431 shares of company stock worth $37,875,167 over the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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