Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Bought by Little House Capital LLC

Little House Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 27.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,734 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,011 shares during the quarter. Little House Capital LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,906,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX traded up $9.65 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $471.76. 1,454,541 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,543,211. The firm has a market cap of $121.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -214.44, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.41. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $435.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $460.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.58 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $500.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $408.00 to $424.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $402.00 to $407.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $505.57.

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.