Ourania Tatsis Sells 244 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Stock

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $30,805,286.70. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Ourania Tatsis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 11th, Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total transaction of $142,547.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of VRTX stock traded up $3.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $484.24. 1,444,007 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,541,286. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $377.85 and a 12 month high of $519.88. The company has a market cap of $124.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -220.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.41. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $436.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $460.70.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $566.00 to $520.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $500.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $505.61.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $385,000. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,848 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,823 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,345,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $23,831,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $337,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% 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.