Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC Invests $965,000 in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,465 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $965,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,593,974,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 214.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 763,703 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $299,097,000 after buying an additional 520,949 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,973,777 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $10,673,126,000 after buying an additional 482,616 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,378,320 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,949,228,000 after buying an additional 424,808 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1,373.1% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 361,085 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $140,119,000 after buying an additional 336,573 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $496.83 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $466.55 and its 200-day moving average is $431.98. The stock has a market cap of $126.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $362.50 and a 52-week high of $519.68.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Clinical safety expansion — Vertex announced a new study to evaluate VX‑548 (an investigational pain drug) in breastfeeding women, broadening the drug’s safety profile and de‑risking development pathways if results are supportive. Vertex Expands VX‑548 Safety Profile With New Breastfeeding Study
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership/PR tailwind — TIME profiled CEO Reshma Kewalramani, reinforcing investor confidence in management’s execution and Vertex’s strategy to expand beyond cystic fibrosis. Physician‑Scientist Reshma Kewalramani Runs One of Biotech’s Biggest Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — recent upgrades and raised price targets (several firms highlighted in coverage) help underpin the stock and attract buy‑side interest. MarketBeat VRTX analyst coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly fundamentals — Q4 revenue rose ~9.5% y/y and margins remain strong, though EPS missed by $0.02 (reported $5.03 vs. $5.05 consensus); this is a small miss that keeps the longer‑term thesis intact but mutes near‑term upside. Vertex recent earnings summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum/coverage — pieces asking whether VRTX is outperforming major indices may draw momentum flows but do not represent new fundamental catalysts. Is Vertex Stock Outperforming the Dow?
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling — multiple senior executives disclosed sales between Feb. 19–25, including a large sale by EVP Amit Sachdev (~58,613 shares, ~ $27.5M) and several other EVPs reducing positions. Such concentrated insider sales can create near‑term negative sentiment even if driven by diversification or tax planning. Representative SEC filing: SEC Form 4 – Amit Sachdev
• Negative Sentiment: Additional officer sale — CAO Kristen Ambrose sold 223 shares (minor relative to the EVP sales) but is part of the broader disclosure set that traders are reacting to. Vertex insider sales roundup

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $590.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $570.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Leerink Partners upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $456.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $591.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $542.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total transaction of $2,394,361.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,562,646.35. The trade was a 21.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 1,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $897,802.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 55,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,026,469.50. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 168,937 shares of company stock valued at $77,879,922. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.