Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Sold by New Age Alpha Advisors LLC

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lessened its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 11.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,939 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 1,761 shares during the quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $5,459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% in 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 in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 18.8% during the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 455 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 43.4% in the second quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 1,253 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $558,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 47.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 2,152 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $958,000 after buying an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 16.2% during the second quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 690 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on VRTX. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $577.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $546.00 to $541.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $542.00.

Insider Activity

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 17,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,562,646.35. The trade was a 21.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan Biller sold 945 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $459,600.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,643,054.65. This represents a 6.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 168,937 shares of company stock worth $77,879,922. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $496.83 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $466.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $432.55. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $519.68. The company has a market cap of $126.21 billion, a PE ratio of 32.41 and a beta of 0.31.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.05 by ($0.02). The firm 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.98 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting 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

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.