VRTX options flow: unusual options activity in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Updated 28 September 2026, 09:54 ET
Over the last week the tape recorded 38 unusual options prints in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX), $2.5M of tracked premium, leaning bullish. Bullish premium was $934K against $662K bearish; $2.0M went into calls and $439K into puts, a put call ratio of 0.22. The largest print was $750K of VRTX 18 Dec 2026 $560 calls on 22 September 2026, swept at ask. The last session with prints, 25 September 2026, added 5 prints and $206K of premium. VRTX closed at $526.19 on 25 September 2026, up 0.7%.
This week's unusual flow
Prints from 21 September 2026 to 25 September 2026, 5 sessions. Delayed tier: every print is shown twenty minutes after it executed, and the page is rebuilt after each session.
Net premium is bullish minus bearish premium. The put call ratio is put premium divided by call premium, weighted by money rather than by contract count. Sweeps is the share of prints executed across several exchanges at once. Read the guide: Reading the Pulse.
Largest prints of the week
| Date | Contract | Type | Size | Open int. | Premium | Execution | Sentiment | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Sep 2026 | VRTX 18 Dec 2026 $560 calls | Sweep | 421 | 93 | $750K | At ask | Neutral | High conviction |
| 23 Sep 2026 | VRTX 16 Oct 2026 $515 puts | Sweep | 71 | 3 | $113K | At ask | Bearish | High conviction |
| 21 Sep 2026 | VRTX 16 Oct 2026 $520 calls | Sweep | 77 | 69 | $88K | At ask | Bullish | High conviction |
| 21 Sep 2026 | VRTX 17 Jun 2027 $520 calls | Trade | 13 | 51 | $83K | At bid | Bearish | |
| 25 Sep 2026 | VRTX 21 Jan 2028 $450 puts | Sweep | 20 | 79 | $74K | At bid | Bullish | Notable |
| 21 Sep 2026 | VRTX 16 Oct 2026 $515 calls | Sweep | 51 | 0 | $70K | At ask | Bullish | High conviction |
| 21 Sep 2026 | VRTX 16 Oct 2026 $515 calls | Sweep | 48 | 0 | $67K | At bid | Bearish | High conviction |
| 22 Sep 2026 | VRTX 16 Oct 2026 $540 calls | Sweep | 77 | 140 | $67K | At ask | Bullish | Notable |
| 21 Sep 2026 | VRTX 16 Oct 2026 $515 calls | Sweep | 47 | 0 | $63K | At ask | Bullish | High conviction |
| 24 Sep 2026 | VRTX 18 Dec 2026 $540 calls | Trade | 25 | 396 | $63K | At ask | Bullish | |
| 21 Sep 2026 | VRTX 16 Oct 2026 $515 calls | Sweep | 43 | 0 | $63K | At ask | Bullish | High conviction |
| 21 Sep 2026 | VRTX 16 Oct 2026 $515 calls | Sweep | 40 | 0 | $55K | At ask | Bullish | High conviction |
Size above open interest means the trade opened a position larger than everything that existed in the contract the night before. Above ask and below bid are the most aggressive executions. Read the guide: Size versus open interest.
Where the money is aimed
| Expiry | Prints | Premium | Calls share | Net premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 2026 | 2 | $813K | 100% | +$63K |
| 16 Oct 2026 | 13 | $804K | 86% | +$343K |
| 25 Sep 2026 | 5 | $184K | 75% | -$56K |
| 21 Jan 2028 | 3 | $142K | 48% | +$5K |
| 17 Jun 2027 | 3 | $138K | 60% | -$83K |
| 19 Mar 2027 | 4 | $118K | 24% | -$7K |
The most premium, $813K, is aimed at the 18 Dec 2026 expiry; the nearest expiry with unusual prints is 25 Sep 2026.
A print in a contract expiring this week is a view about the next few days, often about a known event; a print months out is a different kind of statement. Read the guide: 0DTE options flow.
The last session, 25 September 2026
| Date | Contract | Type | Size | Open int. | Premium | Execution | Sentiment | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 2026 | VRTX 21 Jan 2028 $450 puts | Sweep | 20 | 79 | $74K | At bid | Bullish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | VRTX 2 Oct 2026 $527.50 calls | Trade | 83 | 10 | $38K | At ask | Bullish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | VRTX 30 Oct 2026 $520 calls | Sweep | 17 | 2 | $33K | At ask | Bullish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | VRTX 15 Jan 2027 $540 calls | Sweep | 10 | 557 | $31K | At bid | Bearish | |
| 25 Sep 2026 | VRTX 17 Jun 2027 $560 puts | Trade | 4 | 75 | $30K | At bid | Neutral |
Every print in VRTX with its full detail, the live tape, one tap filters and saved screeners: open VRTX in Options Sentiment Screener.
Price
The live quote and the price chart sit beside the ticker's flow in the app: open VRTX in Options Sentiment Screener.
Analysts
The most recent analyst targets on file, from 11 firms, have a median of $570, 8.3% above the last close.
Calls bought at a strike above the average target are a bet that the analysts are too cautious; puts far below the price in a name they like are protection or a strong disagreement. Read the guide: Reading one ticker's flow.
About Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
- Exchange
- Nasdaq
- Sector
- Health Care
- Industry
- Pharmaceutical Products
- Headquarters
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Website
- vrtx.com
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated engages in developing and commercializing therapies for treating cystic fibrosis. The company markets SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI, ORKAMBI, and KALYDECO to treat patients with CF 6 years of age or older who have at least one F508del mutation. Its pipeline includes VX-864 for the treatment of AAT deficiency, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial.
In the same sector
Flow pages for other Health Care names in the S&P 500:
LLY Eli Lilly & Co.JNJ Johnson & JohnsonABBV AbbVie Inc.MRK Merck & Co. Inc.UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc.TMO Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.AMGN Amgen Inc.GILD Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Learn
- What unusual options activity means
- Reading one ticker's flow
- Sweeps, blocks and where a trade printed
- Size versus open interest
- Bullish or bearish, how a print's sentiment is inferred
- The conviction score and whale prints
The live tape for VRTX with every print's execution detail, one tap filters for calls, puts, sweeps and 0DTE, saved screeners and, for Realtime subscribers, push alerts and no delay. The same screen is in the iOS and Android apps.
Open VRTX in Options Sentiment Screener