Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Acquired by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Posted by Brian Himes on Jul 30th, 2026

Kentucky Retirement Systems lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX – Free Report) by 19.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 19,299 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,152 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $8,618,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,783,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at $228,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,929 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,311,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares during the period. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 604 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 26.3% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,291 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,246,000 after acquiring an additional 1,518 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $483.33 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $122.67 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a fifty day moving average of $468.80 and a 200 day moving average of $460.09. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $362.50 and a 1 year high of $533.67.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.86% and a net margin of 35.51%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.06 EPS. Research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

Positive Sentiment: Pipeline expansion: Vertex agreed to collaborate with AbCellera Biologics on discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing multispecific T-cell engagers for autoimmune diseases and other conditions. Vertex will fund the research and retain commercialization rights, providing a potential way to diversify beyond its cystic fibrosis franchise. AbCellera, Vertex partner on next-gen T-cell engagers
Positive Sentiment: Estimates remain supportive: Erste Group Bank modestly raised its fiscal 2026 earnings-per-share forecast for Vertex to $16.95 from $16.93. The estimate remains close to the broader consensus of $17.01, suggesting expectations for continued earnings growth are largely intact.
Neutral Sentiment: Second-quarter results are approaching: Analysts are focused on Vertex’s quarter ended June 2026, particularly revenue, earnings and operating metrics beyond headline consensus estimates. The company’s latest reported quarter exceeded earnings expectations, with revenue of $2.99 billion and year-over-year revenue growth of 8.3%, but investors may be cautious ahead of the next release. Vertex Q2 Earnings Preview
Negative Sentiment: Valuation is mixed: Vertex has delivered strong long-term shareholder returns, and a discounted-cash-flow analysis suggests upside. However, market-based valuation multiples indicate the shares may be closer to fairly valued, limiting the immediate impact of pipeline news unless the collaboration produces meaningful clinical or commercial progress. Vertex Expands Its Pipeline Reach

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 1,541 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $519.00, for a total value of $799,779.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,001 shares in the company, valued at $5,709,519. This represents a 12.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $524.99, for a total value of $787,485.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,793,071.79. This trade represents a 3.20% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,874 shares of company stock valued at $8,707,966. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on VRTX shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $577.00 to $572.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $612.00 to $616.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $543.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 28th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $559.61.

Get Our Latest Report on Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Profile

(Free Report)

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.