New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 10,729 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lowered its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 221,252 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 10,729 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.09% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $89,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake 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 last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,021 shares in the company, valued at $29,438,776.43. This represents a 0.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.7 %

VRTX stock traded up $3.11 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $462.11. 1,405,218 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,546,074. The company has a market cap of $119.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -232.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.41. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $435.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $460.67. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. 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 announced 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 net margin of 4.52% and a negative return on equity of 1.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VRTX. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $505.57.

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.