Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Acquired by FIL Ltd

FIL Ltd increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 1,226.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 93,273 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 86,242 shares during the quarter. FIL Ltd's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $37,561,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 99 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 108.2% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 102 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VRTX. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Scotiabank raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $433.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $490.00 to $494.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $512.41.

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Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total transaction of $111,034.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $1,615,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. This represents a 10.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,315 shares of company stock valued at $2,121,012. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $11.61 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $495.83. 1,362,217 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,326,199. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The business has a fifty day moving average of $484.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $464.28. The company has a market capitalization of $127.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -225.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.50. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $377.85 and a 1 year high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.99 by ($0.45). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.86% and a negative return on equity of 2.02%. As a group, research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.