If retailers sold stocks, Vertex Pharmaceuticals would not be found in Wal-Mart.
That's because the biotech company is the most expensive S&P 500 stock, excluding REITs and companies valued at less than $10 billion.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) is clearly a rising star in the biotech world that the Federal Reserve recently singled out for possibly being overvalued.
The drug maker skyrocketed 40% during a single day last month after revealing a positive study on an experimental cystic fibrosis drug that could sell for more than $150,000 a year.
That June surge leaves Vertex up 31% on the year, easily outperforming the broader markets after soaring 77% in 2013.
Yet Vertex is projected to suffer its third consecutive year of red ink, with analysts modeling a loss of nearly $700 million. Sales exploded in 2011 to $1.4 billion from just $143.4 million the year before, but then dropped in 2013 and are set to plunge more than 50% this year to $542 million.
Part of Vertex's climb has been fueled by speculation that larger cash-rich biotech companies like Gilead Sciences (GILD) could be on the prowl for a major acquisition.
