Jonathan Biller Sells 945 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Stock

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Jonathan Biller sold 945 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 13,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,643,054.65. The trade was a 6.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Jonathan Biller also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 11th, Jonathan Biller sold 1,925 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total transaction of $886,327.75.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 3.5%

VRTX stock opened at $496.83 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $126.21 billion, a PE ratio of 32.41 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $362.50 and a 12 month high of $519.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $466.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $431.98.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced 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). The firm 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% in the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRTX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Leerink Partners increased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $456.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $606.00 to $607.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $570.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $548.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $542.00.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

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.