Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Purchased by Aviva PLC

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jun 12th, 2026

Aviva PLC boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX – Free Report) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 216,211 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,322 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $98,021,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $64,417,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 544,978 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $213,435,000 after acquiring an additional 20,053 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,030,000. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $956,000. Finally, ING Groep NV purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,695,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 6,988 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $3,144,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 26,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,739,600. This represents a 21.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total transaction of $469,222.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,810,239.58. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,133 shares of company stock worth $4,973,106. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on VRTX. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $590.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $580.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup boosted 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. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $555.91.

View Our Latest Research Report on VRTX

Key Headlines Impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

Positive Sentiment: Vertex announced new data on CASGEVY showing clinical benefits in patients ages 5 and older with severe sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, including pediatric data consistent with the therapy’s profile in older patients. The company also said it is making additional global regulatory submissions, which could expand the drug’s commercial opportunity. Article Title
Positive Sentiment: Several recent items point to supportive Wall Street views, including a “Moderate Buy” consensus and multiple higher price targets, suggesting analysts still see upside despite the stock’s recent strength.
Neutral Sentiment: Vertex presented at the Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference, but no major new financial guidance or pipeline surprise was highlighted in the available summary. Article Title
Neutral Sentiment: A senior executive sold shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. While this can draw attention, the sale appears routine rather than a sign of negative business developments. Article Title
Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2027 EPS estimate for Vertex slightly, which may have limited enthusiasm a bit, though the change was modest and the outlook remains above current-year consensus. Article Title

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRTX opened at $445.04 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $437.19 and a 200-day moving average of $452.38. The company has a market capitalization of $112.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.40, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $507.92.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.23. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.51% and a return on equity of 23.86%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.06 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.