Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Stock Rating Upgraded by Leerink Partnrs

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) was upgraded by research analysts at Leerink Partnrs from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Q4 2025 earnings at $4.67 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial set a $490.00 price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $430.00 to $405.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $424.00 to $411.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim cut their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $558.00 to $546.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $493.81.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $385.73 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $406.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $446.60. The firm has a market cap of $98.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.57 and a beta of 0.44. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $362.50 and a 12 month high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.91% and a net margin of 31.86%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($12.83) EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Bruce I. Sachs bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $389.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,948,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 45,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,535,600. This trade represents a 12.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake 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 during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,995 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $803,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. First Hawaiian Bank increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.3% in the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 5,404 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,620,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the period. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.3% in the first quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 5,425 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,630,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biotechnology company, engages in developing and commercializing therapies for treating cystic fibrosis (CF). It markets TRIKAFTA/KAFTRIO for people with CF with at least one F508del mutation for 2 years of age or older; SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI for people with CF for 6 years of age or older; ORKAMBI for CF patients 1 year or older; and KALYDECO for the treatment of patients with 1 year or older who have CF with ivacaftor.