Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02), FiscalAI reports. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.51% and a net margin of 31.35%.The company had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.98 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ conference call:

• Vertex reported strong results (Q4 revenue $3.2B, FY2025 $12B) and guided 2026 revenue of $12.95B–$13.1B with >$500M expected from non‑CF products, supported by $12.3B cash and ~$2B of share repurchases.
• ALYFTREK showed a mean sweat‑chloride reduction of 9.6 mmol in 2–5 year olds with 65% reaching <30 mmol, is on track for global submissions in H1 2026, and Vertex is advancing next‑gen CF programs (VX‑828, VX‑581, VX‑522) with key readouts planned in 2026.
• Povetacicept (dual BAFF/APRIL) delivered substantial phase II proteinuria reductions and GFR stabilization, has Breakthrough Therapy designation and a rolling BLA (first module filed Dec 2025), and could complete the BLA in H1 2026 pending a supportive phase III interim; plans also include PMN and a gMG proof‑of‑concept study.
• Commercial launches gained traction—CASGEVY reached $116M FY revenue with growing patient initiations and broad payer access, while JOURNAVX achieved ~550k prescriptions in 2025 and the company plans to materially expand prescriptions and field force in 2026 to drive diversification.
• Near‑term headwinds include higher planned operating expenses ($5.65B–$5.75B), a higher non‑GAAP tax rate (19.5%–20.5%), and temporary gross‑to‑net pressure as patient support programs for new launches normalize, which could compress near‑term revenue conversion.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.8%

VRTX opened at $465.02 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $519.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.79 and a beta of 0.30. The business has a 50 day moving average of $459.26 and a 200-day moving average of $427.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CAO Kristen Ambrose sold 1,376 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total value of $633,551.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 10,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,662,774.61. The trade was a 11.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark E. Bunnage sold 2,021 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,914 shares in the company, valued at $5,945,993.02. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 99,352 shares of company stock worth $45,037,314 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vertex Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position 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 worth $1,783,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $228,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.0% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,929 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,311,000 after buying 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 second quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 604 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 26.3% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Evercore raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $455.00 to $445.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $548.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $522.68.

Key Stories Impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and product momentum — Vertex reported Q4 revenue of ~$3.19B (≈+9.5% YoY), which many outlets framed as a beat or in-line with expectations and supports confidence in its CF franchise and near-term cash flow. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing and long-term targets — Several analysts maintain bullish ratings and above-current price targets (median targets well above the share price), which provides longer-term upside support for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline diversification — Company commentary and reporting highlighted partnership/expansion efforts (broader autoimmune work) that could reduce concentration risk over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: 2026 guidance roughly in-line — Management’s revenue guidance (~$13.0–13.1B) came in close to consensus, which limits downside from surprise guidance but doesn’t materially raise expectations. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full materials available — Investors can review the earnings slide deck and call transcript for details on product and pipeline trends to refine estimates. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Small EPS miss and mixed metric comparisons — EPS came in marginally below consensus (~$5.03 vs. ~$5.05–$5.07) and some feeds showed revenue slightly under certain Street models, prompting short-term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Multiple senior executives (EVPs and the CAO) disclosed sizeable open-market sales this week, which can amplify negative sentiment even if sales are for diversification or tax planning. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: After-hours weakness — The combination of the small EPS miss and the insider selling pushed shares lower in after-hours trading, reflecting short-term profit-taking by traders. Read More.

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.