Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Will Climb or Sink?
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 20 2025
0mins
Should l Buy VRTX?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
Company Overview: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, with a market cap of $118.7 billion, focuses on innovative therapies for cystic fibrosis and rare diseases, reporting a 15.7% revenue growth in Q4 to $2.91 billion, though adjusted EPS fell short of expectations.
Stock Performance and Analyst Ratings: Despite underperforming the broader market over the past year, VRTX has seen a positive outlook from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a raised price target reflecting strong sales expectations in cystic fibrosis.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy VRTX?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on VRTX
Wall Street analysts forecast VRTX stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for VRTX is 515.88 USD with a low forecast of 414.00 USD and a high forecast of 604.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
22 Analyst Rating
17 Buy
5 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 461.240
Low
414.00
Averages
515.88
High
604.00
Current: 461.240
Low
414.00
Averages
515.88
High
604.00
About VRTX
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases, with a focus on specialty markets. It has seven approved medicines: five that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), one that treats severe sickle cell disease (SCD) and transfusion dependent beta thalassemia (TDT), and one that treats moderate-to-severe acute pain. Its pipeline includes clinical-stage programs in CF, SCD, beta thalassemia, acute and peripheral neuropathic pain, APOL1-mediated kidney disease, IgA nephropathy and other autoimmune renal diseases and cytopenias, type 1 diabetes, myotonic dystrophy type 1, and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Its marketed medicines are TRIKAFTA/KAFTRIO (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor), SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor), ORKAMBI (lumacaftor/ivacaftor), and KALYDECO (ivacaftor).
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Set to Release Q4 Earnings on February 12
- Earnings Announcement Schedule: Vertex Pharmaceuticals is set to announce its Q4 2023 earnings on February 12 after market close, with consensus EPS estimated at $5.15, reflecting a 29.4% year-over-year increase, and revenue expected to reach $3.17 billion, up 8.9% year-over-year.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, Vertex has exceeded EPS estimates 63% of the time and revenue estimates 75% of the time, indicating its strong profitability and market performance.
- Expectation Revision Dynamics: In the last three months, EPS estimates have seen five upward revisions and five downward adjustments, while revenue estimates have experienced seven upward revisions and six downward changes, reflecting analyst divergence and market uncertainty regarding the company's future performance.
- Industry Focus: During the upcoming earnings week, Vertex will be among the companies drawing attention alongside notable firms like Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Bristol Myers, potentially influencing investor sentiment towards the broader biopharmaceutical sector.
See More
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Provides FY 2026 Financial Guidance
- Earnings Performance: Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported a Q4 non-GAAP EPS of $5.03, missing estimates by $0.12, while revenue reached $3.19 billion, reflecting a 9.6% year-over-year growth and beating market expectations by $20 million, indicating stability in revenue growth.
- FY 2026 Revenue Guidance: The company projects total revenue for FY 2026 to be between $12.95 billion and $13.1 billion, slightly below the consensus estimate of $13 billion, reflecting market caution regarding its future growth prospects.
- R&D and Expense Guidance: Vertex anticipates combined GAAP R&D, AIP R&D, and SG&A expenses to range from $6.3 billion to $6.45 billion, while non-GAAP expenses are expected to be between $5.65 billion and $5.75 billion, demonstrating the company's efforts in cost control.
- Tax Rate Expectations: The company expects a non-GAAP effective tax rate between 19.5% and 20.5%, which will impact future net income and reflects the company's commitment to financial transparency.
See More
Tech Earnings Show Diverging Trends Amid Market Volatility
- Cisco's Revenue Decline: Cisco (CSCO) fell over 8% in pre-market trading due to a 4% drop in security segment revenue and tightening operating cash flow, although the CFO indicated plans to enhance profitability through financial discipline, highlighting the challenges and strategic responses the company faces.
- Paycom's Slower Growth: Paycom (PAYC) saw its stock drop more than 9% in pre-market trading after reporting a 10.2% year-over-year revenue gain but providing a slower growth outlook, which may dampen investor confidence and affect market performance.
- Cognex's Strong Surge: Cognex (CGNX) surged nearly 25% in pre-market trading, with the CEO attributing the impressive financial results to advancements in AI-enabled industrial machine vision, reflecting strong market demand and recognition for AI technologies.
- Real Estate Stocks Hit by AI Concerns: Real estate service stocks CBRE and JLL closed 12% lower yesterday amid growing concerns about AI's disruptive potential in the sector, indicating that their high-fee, labor-intensive operating models may face profitability pressures.
See More
Stock Movers: Cisco, AppLovin, Micron, Fastly, Equinix, Rollins, Novocure, and Others
- Stock Market Trends: Stock futures were rising on Thursday as investors reacted to recent economic data.
- Economic Data Impact: The rise in stock futures comes in the wake of a delayed U.S. monthly jobs report and other economic indicators.
See More
Stocks Close Steady Following Robust Jobs Data
Market Movement: The S&P 500 attempted to reach the 7,000 mark during trading.
End of Day Status: Despite the early gains, the index closed the day at its starting point.
See More
Surge in Options Trading Volume for Vertex and APG
- Vertex Options Volume: Vertex Pharmaceuticals saw options trading volume of 7,355 contracts, equating to approximately 735,500 shares, which is about 49.8% of its average daily trading volume of 1.5 million shares over the past month, indicating heightened market interest in its future performance.
- High Strike Demand: Notably, the $500 strike call option expiring on February 20, 2026, has seen 1,797 contracts traded today, representing around 179,700 shares, suggesting that investors are increasingly optimistic about Vertex's stock price appreciation.
- APG Options Activity: In parallel, APi Group Corp recorded an options trading volume of 10,416 contracts, translating to approximately 1.0 million shares, which accounts for 49.6% of its average daily trading volume of 2.1 million shares over the past month, reflecting strong market interest in APG.
- Significant Strike Activity: Particularly, the $45 strike call option expiring on July 17, 2026, has seen a trading volume of 5,503 contracts today, representing about 550,300 shares, indicating a bullish sentiment among investors regarding APG's future performance.
See More
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Set to Release Q4 Earnings on February 12
- Earnings Announcement Schedule: Vertex Pharmaceuticals is set to announce its Q4 2023 earnings on February 12 after market close, with consensus EPS estimated at $5.15, reflecting a 29.4% year-over-year increase, and revenue expected to reach $3.17 billion, up 8.9% year-over-year.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, Vertex has exceeded EPS estimates 63% of the time and revenue estimates 75% of the time, indicating its strong profitability and market performance.
- Expectation Revision Dynamics: In the last three months, EPS estimates have seen five upward revisions and five downward adjustments, while revenue estimates have experienced seven upward revisions and six downward changes, reflecting analyst divergence and market uncertainty regarding the company's future performance.
- Industry Focus: During the upcoming earnings week, Vertex will be among the companies drawing attention alongside notable firms like Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Bristol Myers, potentially influencing investor sentiment towards the broader biopharmaceutical sector.
See More
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Provides FY 2026 Financial Guidance
- Earnings Performance: Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported a Q4 non-GAAP EPS of $5.03, missing estimates by $0.12, while revenue reached $3.19 billion, reflecting a 9.6% year-over-year growth and beating market expectations by $20 million, indicating stability in revenue growth.
- FY 2026 Revenue Guidance: The company projects total revenue for FY 2026 to be between $12.95 billion and $13.1 billion, slightly below the consensus estimate of $13 billion, reflecting market caution regarding its future growth prospects.
- R&D and Expense Guidance: Vertex anticipates combined GAAP R&D, AIP R&D, and SG&A expenses to range from $6.3 billion to $6.45 billion, while non-GAAP expenses are expected to be between $5.65 billion and $5.75 billion, demonstrating the company's efforts in cost control.
- Tax Rate Expectations: The company expects a non-GAAP effective tax rate between 19.5% and 20.5%, which will impact future net income and reflects the company's commitment to financial transparency.
See More
Tech Earnings Show Diverging Trends Amid Market Volatility
- Cisco's Revenue Decline: Cisco (CSCO) fell over 8% in pre-market trading due to a 4% drop in security segment revenue and tightening operating cash flow, although the CFO indicated plans to enhance profitability through financial discipline, highlighting the challenges and strategic responses the company faces.
- Paycom's Slower Growth: Paycom (PAYC) saw its stock drop more than 9% in pre-market trading after reporting a 10.2% year-over-year revenue gain but providing a slower growth outlook, which may dampen investor confidence and affect market performance.
- Cognex's Strong Surge: Cognex (CGNX) surged nearly 25% in pre-market trading, with the CEO attributing the impressive financial results to advancements in AI-enabled industrial machine vision, reflecting strong market demand and recognition for AI technologies.
- Real Estate Stocks Hit by AI Concerns: Real estate service stocks CBRE and JLL closed 12% lower yesterday amid growing concerns about AI's disruptive potential in the sector, indicating that their high-fee, labor-intensive operating models may face profitability pressures.
See More
Stock Movers: Cisco, AppLovin, Micron, Fastly, Equinix, Rollins, Novocure, and Others
- Stock Market Trends: Stock futures were rising on Thursday as investors reacted to recent economic data.
- Economic Data Impact: The rise in stock futures comes in the wake of a delayed U.S. monthly jobs report and other economic indicators.
See More
Stocks Close Steady Following Robust Jobs Data
Market Movement: The S&P 500 attempted to reach the 7,000 mark during trading.
End of Day Status: Despite the early gains, the index closed the day at its starting point.
See More
Surge in Options Trading Volume for Vertex and APG
- Vertex Options Volume: Vertex Pharmaceuticals saw options trading volume of 7,355 contracts, equating to approximately 735,500 shares, which is about 49.8% of its average daily trading volume of 1.5 million shares over the past month, indicating heightened market interest in its future performance.
- High Strike Demand: Notably, the $500 strike call option expiring on February 20, 2026, has seen 1,797 contracts traded today, representing around 179,700 shares, suggesting that investors are increasingly optimistic about Vertex's stock price appreciation.
- APG Options Activity: In parallel, APi Group Corp recorded an options trading volume of 10,416 contracts, translating to approximately 1.0 million shares, which accounts for 49.6% of its average daily trading volume of 2.1 million shares over the past month, reflecting strong market interest in APG.
- Significant Strike Activity: Particularly, the $45 strike call option expiring on July 17, 2026, has seen a trading volume of 5,503 contracts today, representing about 550,300 shares, indicating a bullish sentiment among investors regarding APG's future performance.
See More
