Andra AP fonden Acquires New Shares in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Andra AP fonden bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 35,900 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,060,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 79,406 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,099,000 after buying an additional 9,218 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at about $658,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 37.1% in the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,117,000 after purchasing an additional 771 shares during the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.8% in the third quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 95,414 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $37,368,000 after purchasing an additional 8,483 shares during the period. Finally, Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 54.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,269 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about 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

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HC Wainwright set a $591.00 price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $456.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $570.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $542.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total value of $2,394,361.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $459,600.75. Following the transaction, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 168,937 shares of company stock worth $77,879,922 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 3.5%

VRTX opened at $496.83 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $362.50 and a twelve month high of $519.68. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $466.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $431.98. The stock has a market cap of $126.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41 and a beta of 0.30.

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

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.