Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Sold by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 25.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 698,706 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 239,345 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.27% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $281,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisory Resource Group increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,970 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $916,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1,352.3% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,583 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $736,000 after acquiring an additional 1,474 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth $24,280,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,187,000. Finally, Destination Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Destination Wealth Management now owns 3,361 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,563,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $1,615,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,256,000. This represents a 10.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 0.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.5 %

VRTX stock traded up $2.65 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $496.49. 1,503,312 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,338,044. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $377.85 and a 1-year high of $519.88. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $489.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $466.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.49 billion, a PE ratio of -225.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.50. 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 (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRTX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $408.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $535.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 30th. 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $514.91.

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.