Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Has $60.46 Million Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 150,126 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 5,635 shares during the quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $60,456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.6% in the third quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 3,710 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,751,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 804 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 410 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% in the third quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 892 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on VRTX shares. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $575.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $473.00 to $476.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $494.76.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX traded down $3.12 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $438.40. The stock had a trading volume of 1,100,306 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,474,886. The company's 50-day moving average price is $434.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $463.49. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $377.85 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $112.90 billion, a P/E ratio of -220.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.77. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.67 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.