AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Takes $105.28 Million Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 226,374 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $105,282,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned 0.09% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VRTX. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 17.2% during the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 25,567,184 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $10,687,339,000 after purchasing an additional 3,761,414 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 61.0% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,743,882 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,401,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,176,218 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 21.2% in the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,782,374 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,999,080,000 after acquiring an additional 837,461 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at about $277,317,000. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $257,655,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VRTX shares. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $371.00 to $376.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Scotiabank assumed coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $480.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $472.00 to $509.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $492.50.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.2 %

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $475.98. 1,375,027 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,166,011. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $341.90 and a 12-month high of $510.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $474.81 and a 200 day moving average of $463.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.52. The firm has a market cap of $122.85 billion, a P/E ratio of -234.03 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The pharmaceutical company reported ($12.83) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($12.54) by ($0.29). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.74% and a negative return on equity of 2.45%. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.53 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -2.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,217,500. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 2,280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $476.75, for a total transaction of $1,086,990.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 23,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,088,728.25. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $323,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,435 shares in the company, valued at $2,217,500. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 6,710 shares of company stock worth $3,298,206. Insiders own 0.20% 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.