New York, February 13, 2026, 17:19 EST — After-hours
Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX.O) jumped 5.7% after hours on Friday, settling at $491.47 following a volatile session. Volume topped 2.9 million shares—more than twice the usual pace, according to MarketWatch. The stock ended the regular session up 5.69%. (MarketWatch)
Vertex Pharmaceuticals on Thursday evening guided 2026 revenue to a range of $12.95 billion to $13.1 billion. That’s almost exactly where analysts were pegging it—the Street’s midpoint sits at $13.02 billion, per LSEG. The company is counting on more than $500 million coming from non-cystic fibrosis products, highlighting gene-editing therapy Casgevy and pain drug Journavx. There’s a plan in play to use a priority review voucher to move U.S. approval of kidney drug povetacicept along faster. Journavx prescriptions topped 550,000 through the end of 2025, and according to Vertex, it’s now covered by all three national PBMs, those drug benefit negotiators. (Reuters)
Investors keep a close eye on the numbers, since Vertex relies heavily on its cystic fibrosis franchise—almost all revenue traces back to it. That puts pressure on CF growth to do most of the heavy lifting. The real shift? Evidence that fresh launches can ramp up, all while the CF core keeps humming.
Vertex’s fourth-quarter numbers are in: revenue hit $3.19 billion, with adjusted diluted EPS at $5.03. Trikafta—and its Kaftrio version outside the U.S.—drove $2.57 billion in sales for the quarter. Alyftrek contributed $380.1 million, Casgevy added $54.3 million, and Journavx accounted for $26.7 million. “Our focus in 2026 remains on executing across the CF franchise,” CEO Reshma Kewalramani said. (Securities and Exchange Commission)
The week’s gains aside, diversification is just starting out here, so the stock remains quick to react to anything that changes the outlook. Traders are focusing less on the core CF segment—steady enough—and more on whether the newer products show momentum.
Vertex’s head of commercial, Duncan McKechnie, said the company used 2025 to lock in payer access and widen its base of Journavx prescribers, aiming to “create a strong long-term foundation for years of growth.” By his count, around 420,000 Americans got the drug added to their acute-pain regimens. Prescriptions, according to McKechnie, have landed about 50/50 between hospitals and retail pharmacies. Vertex is now testing TV spots in certain regions and will bulk up its field team, he said. (Fierce Pharma)
Casgevy — made in partnership with CRISPR Therapeutics — stood out for some analysts after fourth-quarter sales more than tripled from the previous period, according to BioPharma Dive. TD Cowen’s Tyler Van Buren flagged possible quarter-to-quarter sales swings, pointing to the lengthy period between therapy initiation and infusion. RBC’s Brian Abrahams described Casgevy and Alyftrek as “positive surprises.” The company, McKechnie said, is “very encouraged by the robust flow of patients” entering the gene therapy program. (BioPharma Dive)
There was action from brokers following the results, too. Oppenheimer bumped Vertex up to Outperform from Perform on Friday, slapping a $540 target on the stock. The firm pointed to povetacicept and inaxaplin as potential drivers for a renal franchise, while citing the cystic fibrosis business as a “solid pillar of growth,” according to TipRanks. (TipRanks)
Yet those levers can easily swing the other direction. Gene-therapy revenue often comes in fits and starts, slow to ramp up. The pain-drug rollout? It’s still fighting for insurance coverage and trying to break through hospital noise. If the kidney-data readout disappoints or gets pushed back, investors are left focusing just on CF growth again.
U.S. markets are shut Monday, Feb. 16, for Washington’s Birthday, setting up the next full day of VRTX trading for Tuesday, Feb. 17. As the bell approaches, investors are holding out for interim kidney data Vertex promised in the first half, and watching whether Journavx and Casgevy can show a more consistent run rate. (Nyse)
