DNB Asset Management AS Raises Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

DNB Asset Management AS grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 95,414 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 8,483 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $37,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,783,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 18.8% during the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 455 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth $243,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.5% in the second quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,620 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $721,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 43.4% in the second quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 1,253 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $558,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $480.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $121.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.32 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $519.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $465.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $431.13.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.05 by ($0.02). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 24.30% and a net margin of 32.94%.The business had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $546.00 to $541.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Evercore upped their price objective 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. 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, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $542.00.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total value of $2,394,361.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 17,559 shares in the company, valued at $8,562,646.35. This trade represents a 21.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 260 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $126,451.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,743,185.05. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 168,937 shares of company stock worth $77,879,922 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Profile of CEO Reshma Kewalramani in TIME highlights strong leadership and continued R&D momentum, which can support investor confidence in Vertex’s long-term pipeline and strategy. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary noting Vertex’s relative performance vs. the Dow suggests the stock still has investor interest and can attract momentum buyers after pullbacks. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: General coverage in Nasdaq-100 roundup pieces points to continued attention from index investors and analysts — useful for liquidity and index-fund flows but not an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent Q4 results (Feb 12) showed revenue growth (~9.5% y/y) but a tiny EPS miss ($5.03 vs. $5.05 consensus). Fundamentals remain strong, but the small miss tempers near-term upside until forward guidance or pipeline news arrives. (Earnings release/public filings)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales by several senior execs on Feb 25 — including large disposals such as EVP Duncan McKechnie (4,910 shares; ~21.9% reduction) and several other EVPs/CAO — collectively amount to roughly $4.6M in disclosed sales. Clustered insider selling can trigger short-term selling pressure and signals profit-taking or personal liquidity needs rather than company weakness, but markets often interpret heavy insider sales as a negative near-term indicator. SEC Filing (example)

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.