Generali Investments Management Co LLC Acquires New Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,797 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $704,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 39,035 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $17,378,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 38,147 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $16,983,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $5,030,000. Advisory Resource Group acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at $1,286,000. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 23,569 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $9,231,000 after purchasing an additional 6,942 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Reshma Kewalramani profiled by TIME as a physician-scientist running one of biotech’s largest companies — positive PR that supports confidence in leadership and long-term strategy. Physician-Scientist Reshma Kewalramani Runs One of Biotech’s Biggest Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage asking whether VRTX is outperforming the Dow highlights recent relative strength and investor interest in Vertex’s growth profile — supports demand from momentum/quality investors. Is Vertex Stock Outperforming the Dow?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary pieces (e.g., Nasdaq‑100 roundup) raise attention but are mixed in tone and not specific to new catalysts for Vertex. 2 Nasdaq 100 Stocks Worth Your Attention and 1 We Question
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent Q4 results (reported Feb. 12) showed revenue growth (~+9.5% y/y) and margin strength but a very slight EPS miss (reported $5.03 vs. $5.05 consensus). Fundamentals remain solid, but the tiny miss tempers upside catalysts in the near term.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales disclosed in SEC filings — including a large sale by EVP Amit Sachdev (58,613 shares sold, ~$27.5M) and several sales by other executives on Feb. 25 — may be weighing on the stock as investors interpret reduced insider holdings as a negative signal (though sales can reflect diversification or tax planning). Representative SEC filing: SEC Form 4 – Amit Sachdev

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of VRTX opened at $480.13 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $465.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $431.13. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $362.50 and a 52-week high of $519.68. The company has a market capitalization of $121.97 billion, a PE ratio of 31.32 and a beta of 0.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. The business’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.98 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 58,613 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $468.83, for a total value of $27,479,532.79. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 58,934 shares in the company, valued at $27,630,027.22. This trade represents a 49.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total value of $2,394,361.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,562,646.35. This represents a 21.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 168,937 shares of company stock worth $77,879,922. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $456.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $606.00 to $607.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $540.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $542.00.

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.