Kennedy Capital Management LLC Buys 10,084 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 74.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,615 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,084 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $9,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX traded up $11.61 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $495.83. 1,362,217 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,326,199. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $377.85 and a 12 month high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $484.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $464.28. The firm has a market cap of $127.32 billion, a PE ratio of -225.38, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.50.

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Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VRTX. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $433.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $533.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $550.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $408.00 to $424.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $480.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $512.41.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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.