Whittier Trust Co. Has $824,000 Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 33.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,045 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 512 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VRTX. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $500.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. BMO Capital Markets set a $545.00 price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $533.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $506.70.

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Insider Activity

In related news, 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 value of $142,547.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 64,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,438,776.43. This trade represents a 0.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the business'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 value of $1,615,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ VRTX traded down $8.76 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $500.28. The company had a trading volume of 1,328,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,222,499. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $473.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $463.34. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $377.85 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88. The firm has a market cap of $128.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -227.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. Equities analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

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.