Cibc World Market Inc. Cuts Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Cibc World Market Inc. decreased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 73.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,236 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 22,558 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $3,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $9,860,000. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at about $4,695,000. Madison Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 14.2% during the third quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 16,201 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,345,000 after buying an additional 2,009 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,926 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $10,154,000 after buying an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter. BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC now owns 991 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $388,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 5.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $491.47 on Monday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $362.50 and a twelve month high of $519.68. The company has a market cap of $124.70 billion, a PE ratio of 32.06 and a beta of 0.30. The company’s 50 day moving average is $459.98 and its 200 day moving average is $427.18.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $3.19 billion for 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 business’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.98 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and product momentum — Q4 revenue of ~$3.19B (≈+9.5% YoY) came in at or slightly above many forecasts, driven by cystic fibrosis product sales and new launches (Alyftrek, Casgevy, Journavx), supporting near-term cash flow expectations. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and bullish targets — Oppenheimer upgraded VRTX to “outperform” with a $540 target; several other firms recently raised targets or reiterated buys, which can drive momentum and institutional demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline diversification highlighted — Company commentary emphasized growth beyond CF (autoimmune partnerships/expansion), which reduces concentration risk and supports longer-term upside. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: 2026 revenue guidance roughly in-line — Management set FY2026 revenue guidance around $13.0–13.1B, largely matching Street expectations; this limits downside from guidance surprises but is not a bullish catalyst on its own. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Full materials available for modeling — The slide deck and earnings call transcript are posted; analysts will parse product trends and margins to update models. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Small EPS miss and mixed metric comparisons — EPS was ~$5.03 vs. consensus near $5.05–$5.07; some outlets flagged revenue slightly below certain Street models, triggering near-term profit-taking. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Multiple senior executives disclosed open-market sales this week (EVPs, CAO). While common for tax/diversification, the cluster of sales can amplify short-term negative sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: After-hours weakness — The EPS miss plus insider sales pressured shares in after-hours trading, reflecting short-term profit-taking before today’s rebound. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Kristen Ambrose sold 1,376 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total transaction of $633,551.68. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,662,774.61. This trade represents a 11.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Edward Morrow Atkinson III sold 1,751 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total value of $806,212.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,046 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,150,639.78. The trade was a 7.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 99,352 shares of company stock valued at $45,037,314 in the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on VRTX. Leerink Partners increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $456.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Wolfe Research upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $548.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $537.05.

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.