US Bancorp DE Has $12.08 Million Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

US Bancorp DE trimmed its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 30,856 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 2,727 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $12,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $590.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $542.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total transaction of $2,394,361.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,559 shares in the company, valued at $8,562,646.35. This represents a 21.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Kristen Ambrose sold 223 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $108,456.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,395,209.35. The trade was a 3.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 168,937 shares of company stock valued at $77,879,922 in the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $496.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $126.21 billion, a P/E 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $466.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $432.29.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 24.30% and a net margin of 32.94%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.98 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

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.