Zions Bancorporation National Association UT Grows Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Zions Bancorporation increased its Vertex Pharmaceuticals stake by 42.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 4,120 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 13,758 shares worth about $6.24 million.
• Vertex beat earnings expectations in its latest quarterly report, posting EPS of $4.47 versus the $4.24 consensus, while revenue came in at $2.99 billion and rose 8.3% year over year.
• Despite some recent insider selling and a 2.3% share drop on the day, Wall Street remains upbeat: analysts rate the stock Moderate Buy on average with a target price of about $555.91.

Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 42.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,758 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,120 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $6,237,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,783,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at approximately $228,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 986 shares during the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,518 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.3%

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $435.71 on Thursday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $362.50 and a 12 month high of $507.92. The company has a market cap of $110.58 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $437.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $452.25.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 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 business had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.06 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 318 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $423.73, for a total value of $134,746.14. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,446.52. The trade was a 6.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $785,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 21,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,456,750. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. 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 quarter, insiders sold 13,462 shares of company stock valued at $6,095,195. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $590.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $580.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank boosted 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. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $577.00 to $572.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $555.91.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex announced new data on CASGEVY showing clinical benefits in patients ages 5 and older with severe sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, including the first European presentation of data in children ages 5–11. The company also said it is pursuing additional global regulatory submissions, which could expand the therapy’s commercial opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly favorable, with Vertex still carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and a high average price target, suggesting Wall Street expects further upside from current levels. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate for Vertex to $19.24 from $19.36, a small downward revision that does not appear to materially change the longer-term earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Vertex presented at the Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference, which mainly reinforces management visibility and investor engagement rather than changing fundamentals on its own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Shares were already under pressure recently after the stock declined more than the broader market, and an insider sale by CMO Carmen Bozic may add a bit of caution, even though the trade was made under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. Article Title

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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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