Zions Bancorporation National Association UT Acquires 4,120 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 42.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,758 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,120 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $6,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $283,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,768,881 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $801,940,000 after acquiring an additional 168,425 shares during the period. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 33.4% during the 4th quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 23,603 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $10,701,000 after acquiring an additional 5,905 shares during the period. Finally, Portfolio Design Labs LLC grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 1,205 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $580.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $542.00 target price on the stock. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $555.91.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total transaction of $469,222.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,810,239.58. The trade was a 5.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 6,988 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $3,144,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 26,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,739,600. The trade was a 21.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,462 shares of company stock worth $6,095,195. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRTX opened at $435.71 on Thursday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $362.50 and a fifty-two week high of $507.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $437.22 and its 200 day moving average is $452.25. The stock has a market cap of $110.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.23. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.51% and a return on equity of 23.86%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.06 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex announced new data on CASGEVY showing clinical benefits in patients ages 5 and older with severe sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, including the first European presentation of data in children ages 5–11. The company also said it is pursuing additional global regulatory submissions, which could expand the therapy’s commercial opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly favorable, with Vertex still carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and a high average price target, suggesting Wall Street expects further upside from current levels. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate for Vertex to $19.24 from $19.36, a small downward revision that does not appear to materially change the longer-term earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Vertex presented at the Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference, which mainly reinforces management visibility and investor engagement rather than changing fundamentals on its own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Shares were already under pressure recently after the stock declined more than the broader market, and an insider sale by CMO Carmen Bozic may add a bit of caution, even though the trade was made under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. Article Title

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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.