Vanguard Group Inc. Has $9.37 Billion Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,258,288 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 98,654 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.03% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $9,366,113,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parnassus Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $731,283,000. WCM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $435,899,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 17.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,798,870 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,231,858,000 after acquiring an additional 704,421 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 169.4% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 839,672 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $338,136,000 after acquiring an additional 528,029 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $190,037,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders sold a total of 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX traded up $3.77 on Thursday, reaching $504.05. 124,105 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,441,157. The company has a fifty day moving average of $473.33 and a 200-day moving average of $463.34. The company has a market capitalization of $129.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -229.05, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. 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 Incorporated has a twelve month low of $377.85 and a twelve month high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VRTX shares. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $533.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $506.70.

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.