Jonathan Biller Sells 945 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Stock

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Jonathan Biller sold 945 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $459,600.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,659 shares in the company, valued at $6,643,054.65. This trade represents a 6.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Jonathan Biller also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 11th, Jonathan Biller sold 1,925 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total value of $886,327.75.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $2.92 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $480.13. 1,305,189 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,523,726. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $362.50 and a fifty-two week high of $519.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.97 billion, a PE ratio of 31.32 and a beta of 0.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $465.08 and a 200 day moving average of $430.79.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.05 by ($0.02). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 24.30% and a net margin of 32.94%.The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $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 research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VRTX. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $577.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $542.00.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Profile of CEO Reshma Kewalramani in TIME highlights strong leadership and continued R&D momentum, which can support investor confidence in Vertex’s long-term pipeline and strategy. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary noting Vertex’s relative performance vs. the Dow suggests the stock still has investor interest and can attract momentum buyers after pullbacks. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: General coverage in Nasdaq-100 roundup pieces points to continued attention from index investors and analysts — useful for liquidity and index-fund flows but not an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent Q4 results (Feb 12) showed revenue growth (~9.5% y/y) but a tiny EPS miss ($5.03 vs. $5.05 consensus). Fundamentals remain strong, but the small miss tempers near-term upside until forward guidance or pipeline news arrives. (Earnings release/public filings)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales by several senior execs on Feb 25 — including large disposals such as EVP Duncan McKechnie (4,910 shares; ~21.9% reduction) and several other EVPs/CAO — collectively amount to roughly $4.6M in disclosed sales. Clustered insider selling can trigger short-term selling pressure and signals profit-taking or personal liquidity needs rather than company weakness, but markets often interpret heavy insider sales as a negative near-term indicator. SEC Filing (example)

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,000. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 35.9% during the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,161 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $526,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. SG Trading Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $247,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 76,142 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $34,520,000 after purchasing an additional 9,641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $676,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.