Atkinson Edward Morrow III 4

What Happened
Edward M. Atkinson III, EVP & Chief Technical Operations Officer at Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), reported dispositions totaling 2,295 shares valued at roughly $1,114,156. On 2026-02-24 he transferred 1,627 shares at $485.11 each (coded F, $789,274) to cover exercise price or tax liability; on 2026-02-25 he sold 668 shares in an open-market transaction at $486.35 each ($324,882). Both transactions are sales/dispositions (not purchases).

Key Details

• Dates & prices:
  • 2026-02-24: 1,627 shares @ $485.11 — $789,274 (transaction code F: payment of exercise price or tax liability)
  • 2026-02-25: 668 shares @ $486.35 — $324,882 (open-market sale)
• Aggregate disposed: 2,295 shares for ~$1,114,156.
• Shares owned after transaction: Not specified in the provided filing excerpt.
• Footnote: Atkinson states the transaction(s) were made pursuant to a company-approved Rule 10b5-1 trading plan entered 08/11/2025.
• Filing: Form 4 filed 2026-02-26 reporting trades from 02/24–02/25 — appears to be timely (Form 4 is typically due within two business days).

Context

• Code F typically means shares were surrendered or transferred to the company to satisfy exercise costs or tax withholding obligations (a common, administrative disposition). The separate open-market sale was a routine sale of 668 shares.
• The 10b5‑1 plan note indicates these trades were pre-planned and executed under an established trading arrangement, which is intended to reduce the appearance that trades were based on current, material nonpublic information.
• These are insider sales (dispositions), not purchases, so they are generally less informative about bullish insider conviction than outright buys.