Erste Group Bank Has Optimistic View of VRTX FY2027 Earnings

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) – Analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2027 earnings estimates for shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report issued on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the pharmaceutical company will post earnings per share of $19.48 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $19.31. The consensus estimate for Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is $15.63 per share.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on VRTX. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $546.00 to $541.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $580.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $606.00 to $607.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $591.00 to $641.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $554.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.3%

VRTX stock opened at $453.74 on Thursday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $362.50 and a twelve month high of $510.77. The company has a market cap of $115.26 billion, a PE ratio of 29.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.31. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $469.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $441.65.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.98 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 21.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 1,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $897,802.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,570 shares in the company, valued at $27,026,469.50. This represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 93,485 shares of company stock worth $43,967,586 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VRTX. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.8% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 544,978 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $213,435,000 after purchasing an additional 20,053 shares during the last quarter. Leuthold Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,030,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $64,417,000. Advisory Resource Group bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,286,000. Finally, Welch & Forbes LLC lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 220,346 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $86,296,000 after buying an additional 3,102 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist Financial upgraded Vertex to “strong-buy”, providing near-term analyst momentum and potential buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS estimate for VRTX (to $19.48 from $19.31), signaling growing analyst confidence in Vertex’s longer-term earnings trajectory versus current consensus. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Headline coverage notes Vertex recently outperformed the market, reflecting short-term buying interest and positive sentiment among investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces suggest recent volatility may present a buying opportunity for long-term investors, but these are opinion-driven and depend on risk tolerance and time horizon. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Maze Therapeutics reported positive Phase II data for an APOL1-targeted kidney drug — a potential rival to Vertex’s candidate — introducing competitive risk that could affect Vertex’s addressable market and future revenue assumptions. Read More.

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.