Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Receives $555.91 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-five brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty-two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $555.9130.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $542.00 price target on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $437.00 to $436.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $577.00 to $572.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Bank of America upped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.0%

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $444.92 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $112.92 billion, a PE ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $362.50 and a 52 week high of $507.92. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $437.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $452.33.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.23. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.51% and a return on equity of 23.86%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.06 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex received bullish attention from market commentary highlighting that Wall Street remains interested in the stock despite a bearish “death cross” technical setup, suggesting investors are focusing more on the company’s fundamentals than the chart pattern. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced new CASGEVY data at the European Hematology Association Congress, including the first European presentation of results in children ages 5–11 and additional global regulatory submissions, which could support longer-term growth for the gene-editing therapy. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage have been broadly upbeat on Vertex, including pieces describing it as a favored healthcare stock and a stock some investors view as attractive to buy now, reinforcing confidence in the name. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate for Vertex to $19.24 from $19.36, a small revision that may not materially change the long-term outlook but is a minor headwind for sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The stock has also experienced a recent pullback in some sessions, reflecting normal volatility and some profit-taking even as the broader narrative remains constructive. Article Title

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total transaction of $469,222.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at $8,810,239.58. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 1,745 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $785,250.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 21,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,456,750. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 11,133 shares of company stock worth $4,973,106 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% in the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 277.8% in the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 68 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.