FY2027 EPS Estimates for VRTX Lowered by Erste Group Bank

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) – Erste Group Bank reduced their FY2027 earnings estimates for shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, June 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the pharmaceutical company will post earnings of $19.24 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $19.36. The consensus estimate for Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is $17.02 per share.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.06 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

VRTX has been the topic of several other reports. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $542.00 price objective on the stock. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $555.91.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $435.71 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $437.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $452.25. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $362.50 and a one year high of $507.92. The firm has a market cap of $110.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.30.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,216,865 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $9,484,293,000 after purchasing an additional 243,088 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% in 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 last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,689,539 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,299,569,000 after purchasing an additional 83,539 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,733,596 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,146,041,000 after purchasing an additional 44,537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,522,586 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,771,226,000 after purchasing an additional 144,266 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $8,810,239.58. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $785,250.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 21,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,456,750. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 13,462 shares of company stock valued at $6,095,195 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.