Kristen Ambrose Sells 223 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Stock

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) CAO Kristen Ambrose sold 223 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $108,456.05. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,395,209.35. The trade was a 3.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Kristen Ambrose also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 11th, Kristen Ambrose sold 1,376 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total value of $633,551.68.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $496.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.41 and a beta of 0.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $466.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $431.98. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $362.50 and a one year high of $519.68.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.98 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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

Institutional Trading of Vertex Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted 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 valued at $1,783,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 18.8% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 455 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,701 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth $243,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 21.5% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 6,151,505 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,738,650,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089,063 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on VRTX. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $456.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank upped 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. Wolfe Research upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $548.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $570.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $542.00.

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.