B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Has $32.37 Million Stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 101.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 80,759 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 40,766 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $32,373,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 14.2% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 11,244 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $5,229,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,544 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,648,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 14,409 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $6,701,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,401,000. Finally, B&L Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $2,853,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total transaction of $111,034.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,805,286.70. The trade was a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 owns 26,512 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 worth $2,121,012. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of VRTX stock traded down $6.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $477.39. 1,318,780 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,287,087. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $377.85 and a 52 week high of $519.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The business has a 50 day moving average of $480.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $463.95. The company has a market capitalization of $122.59 billion, a PE ratio of -217.32, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share (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%. Analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VRTX. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $408.00 to $424.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $490.00 to $494.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $509.17.

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.