AIA Group Ltd Buys 1,522 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

AIA Group Ltd raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,786 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 1,522 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $14,318,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Norden Group LLC raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 61.3% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 992 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $415,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 33.0% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 399 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 714.3% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 228 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth about $356,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 31.7% in the first quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 9,751 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,076,000 after acquiring an additional 2,348 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 2.8 %

VRTX stock traded up $13.95 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $516.40. The stock had a trading volume of 811,879 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,169,613. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $341.90 and a 52-week high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.47. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $474.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $466.95.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.77. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The firm's revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.67 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $550.00 price target (up previously from $508.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $473.00 to $476.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $472.00 to $509.00 in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $480.00 to $486.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $495.96.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,435 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,217,500. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 3,784 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $499.00, for a total value of $1,888,216.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 9,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,987,006. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,435 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,217,500. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Profile

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biotechnology company, engages in developing and commercializing therapies for treating cystic fibrosis (CF). It markets TRIKAFTA/KAFTRIO for people with CF with at least one F508del mutation for 2 years of age or older; SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI for people with CF for 6 years of age or older; ORKAMBI for CF patients 1 year or older; and KALYDECO for the treatment of patients with 1 year or older who have CF with ivacaftor.