Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Sells 965 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 64.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 538 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 965 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $217,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VRTX. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $500.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $509.17.

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Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of VRTX traded down $9.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $474.62. 2,884,202 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,294,315. The business has a fifty day moving average of $481.54 and a 200-day moving average of $463.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.88 billion, a PE ratio of -215.74, 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. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share (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%. Analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

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.