Aubrey Capital Management Ltd Takes Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Aubrey Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 6,900 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $3,209,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Founders Capital Management increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.0% during the second quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 75 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRTX has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $510.00 to $503.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $575.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Raymond James reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $472.00 to $509.00 in a report on Monday, August 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $499.12.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.2 %

NASDAQ:VRTX traded down $10.65 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $483.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,157,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,172,810. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $341.90 and a twelve month high of $519.88. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $476.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $470.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 2.20. The stock has a market cap of $124.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -248.55 and a beta of 0.39.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 4.52% and a negative return on equity of 1.91%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.82 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 4,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,217,500. The trade was a 12.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 3,784 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 9,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,987,006. This represents a 27.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company 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.