Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 8,104 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. decreased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,477 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 8,104 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $34,824,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,258,288 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $9,366,113,000 after acquiring an additional 98,654 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,916,084 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,382,407,000 after acquiring an additional 1,117,214 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 3,772,789 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,519,302,000 after purchasing an additional 704,575 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,374,948,000. Finally, Edgewood Management LLC increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 91.2% during the 4th quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 2,956,608 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,190,626,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410,238 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,256,000. This trade represents a 10.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the company'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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 67,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. This represents a 0.36 % 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX traded up $0.05 during trading on Thursday, reaching $492.47. 1,368,936 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,329,572. The stock has a market cap of $126.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -223.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $488.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $465.82. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Truist Financial raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded 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 note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $514.91.

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.