Cantor Fitzgerald Issues Negative Forecast for VRTX Earnings

Key Points

• Research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald have revised their FY2026 earnings estimates for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, lowering the forecast from $18.36 to $18.33 per share.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported a quarterly earnings per share of $4.52, exceeding analyst estimates of $4.24, alongside a net margin of 31.86% and revenue of $2.94 billion.
• A consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" has been assigned to Vertex's stock, with an average target price of $495.21, reflecting mixed sentiment from analysts.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst C. Gould now anticipates that the pharmaceutical company will earn $18.33 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $18.36. Cantor Fitzgerald has a "Overweight" rating and a $485.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Vertex Pharmaceuticals' current full-year earnings is $15.63 per share.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.91% and a net margin of 31.86%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($12.83) EPS.

VRTX has been the topic of several other reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $515.00 to $517.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $497.10.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $2.93 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $372.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 415,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,617,303. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $372.35 and a 12-month high of $519.88. The company has a market capitalization of $95.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.70 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $452.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $465.93.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Director Bruce I. Sachs purchased 5,000 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $389.68 per share, with a total value of $1,948,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,535,600. This represents a 12.50% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.2% in the second quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 132,665 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $59,062,000 after buying an additional 13,360 shares in the last quarter. STF Management LP lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.4% during the second quarter. STF Management LP now owns 4,095 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,823,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.3% in the second quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 9,016 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,014,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Nwam LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 4,776 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,241,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Keynote Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $510,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biotechnology company, engages in developing and commercializing therapies for treating cystic fibrosis (CF). It markets TRIKAFTA/KAFTRIO for people with CF with at least one F508del mutation for 2 years of age or older; SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI for people with CF for 6 years of age or older; ORKAMBI for CF patients 1 year or older; and KALYDECO for the treatment of patients with 1 year or older who have CF with ivacaftor.