Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) to $590.00 from $485.00 and retained an Overweight rating, placing the new target below the Street’s top estimate of $625, according to InvestingPro data. The stock was noted to be trading near $483.23 and to exhibit low market sensitivity, with a reported beta of 0.32.
The research note highlighted Vertex’s own characterization of the potential for a renal franchise that the company believes could reach a comparable scale to its cystic fibrosis business, which is currently annualizing in excess of $12 billion. Cantor Fitzgerald underscored that this expansion would build on Vertex’s existing revenue base: $11.7 billion generated over the last twelve months, together with a 52.7% gross profit margin.
On clinical milestones, Cantor Fitzgerald pointed to Vertex’s steady stance around the RAINIER clinical trial. The firm indicated that Vertex did not lower expectations for that study, and it reaffirmed that the RUBY-3 80 mg dataset showing a 64% reduction in proteinuria remains the most relevant comparator for anticipated RAINIER outcomes.
The note also addressed safety considerations. Cantor Fitzgerald reported that Vertex downplayed concerns about hypogammaglobulinemia and infection risk tied to its renal treatments, framing this as a demonstration of confidence in the pipeline’s safety profile.
Turning to guidance and recent results, Cantor Fitzgerald described Vertex’s 2026 top-line guidance as straddling consensus estimates and characterized it as modestly better than some market participants had anticipated. In the company’s most recent quarterly disclosure for the fourth quarter of 2025, Vertex reported revenue of $3.19 billion, slightly above the $3.18 billion forecast, while earnings per share were $5.03 versus an expected $5.08, a 0.98% miss.
Market sentiment toward Vertex has seen movement from other firms as well. Oppenheimer upgraded Vertex from Perform to Outperform, citing optimism about renal pipeline candidates povetacicept and inaxaplin, and established a price target of $540.00. That upgrade and the revised targets reflect growing analyst focus on the potential of Vertex’s renal programs heading into 2026.
Taken together, the analyst moves and quarterly results underscore ongoing investor attention to how Vertex’s pipeline execution, clinical readouts and guidance will influence the company’s growth trajectory and valuation. The combination of sizable legacy revenue, a strong gross margin and clinical data serving as comparators were central to Cantor Fitzgerald’s decision to lift its target and maintain an Overweight view.
Contextual note: This article reports on analyst commentary, company guidance and reported financial results without adding interpretation beyond the statements and figures provided by the sources cited.