National Bank of Canada FI Has $62.34 Million Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

National Bank of Canada FI cut its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 32.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 154,800 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 75,698 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.06% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $62,341,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of 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 period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total value of $142,547.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,021 shares in the company, valued at $29,438,776.43. This trade represents a 0.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,315 shares of company stock valued at $2,121,012. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on VRTX. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $500.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Ten investment 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $509.17.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $484.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,063,769 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,286,638. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $377.85 and a 1-year high of $519.88. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $480.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $463.95. The company has a market cap of $124.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -220.00, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 2.35.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.