Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at Leerink Partners

Leerink Partners assumed coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $594.00 price objective on the pharmaceutical company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on VRTX. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $665.00 target price for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $615.00 to $617.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $436.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $573.83.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $516.34 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $131.05 billion, a PE ratio of 30.05, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s fifty day moving average is $513.98 and its 200 day moving average is $474.98. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $374.17 and a 52 week high of $560.25.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.74 by ($0.01). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.00% and a return on equity of 23.09%. The company had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.23 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.52 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals will post 16.69 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $524.99, for a total transaction of $787,485.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,321 shares in the company, valued at $23,793,071.79. The trade was a 3.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 596 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $482.50, for a total transaction of $287,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 15,337 shares in the company, valued at $7,400,102.50. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,637 shares of company stock valued at $1,874,834. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,975,849,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 17,316,344 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,850,544,000 after purchasing an additional 763,063 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,871,459 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,896,910,000 after buying an additional 141,320 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,733,596 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,146,041,000 after buying an additional 44,537 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.1% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,247,658 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,613,209,000 after acquiring an additional 35,069 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vertex reported positive Phase 2b AMPLIFIED results for inaxaplin in additional patient groups with APOL1-mediated kidney disease, including patients with modest proteinuria and those with type 2 diabetes. The data strengthen confidence in the drug’s potential and helped support the stock’s recent advance. Vertex Announces Positive Results From Phase 2b AMPLIFIED Study
• Positive Sentiment: The company completed enrollment in the Phase 2/3 AMPLITUDE trial and expects interim results in early 2027. Reaching this milestone reduces execution uncertainty and moves inaxaplin closer to a pivotal readout and potential regulatory filing. Vertex Posts Positive Phase II Data on Kidney Disease Drug
• Positive Sentiment: Market coverage characterized the kidney-disease program as an underappreciated asset, suggesting investors may be reassessing Vertex’s pipeline and the company’s longer-term growth prospects. Vertex Touts Encouraging Data From Underappreciated Kidney Drug
• Neutral Sentiment: Leerink Partners began coverage of Vertex, while other analyst commentary and increased investor attention may improve visibility. However, the provided reports do not specify a price target or rating change. Leerink Partners Begins Coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors should still treat inaxaplin as a clinical-stage opportunity: the positive Phase 2b results must be confirmed in the ongoing Phase 2/3 study, with interim data not expected until early 2027. Vertex’s latest quarter showed strong revenue growth, although earnings narrowly missed consensus.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is a global biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing medicines for serious diseases. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the company combines research in human genetics with drug discovery and development.

Vertex is best known for its cystic fibrosis portfolio, which includes CFTR modulator therapies such as Kalydeco, Orkambi, Symdeko and the combination marketed as Trikafta in the United States and Kaftrio in other markets.