Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Sells 2,893 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. decreased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 144,008 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 2,893 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals makes up 3.6% of Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $58,595,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. LSV Asset Management raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 206.3% during the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,751 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after buying an additional 3,200 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.6% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 6,737 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after buying an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 69.4% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 6,622 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,728,000 after buying an additional 2,713 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 28.4% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 44,090 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $11,756,000 after buying an additional 9,761 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,114 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,683,000 after buying an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

NASDAQ VRTX traded down $3.81 on Tuesday, reaching $393.55. 328,428 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,248,969. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $415.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $396.46. The company has a quick ratio of 3.78, a current ratio of 3.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a market cap of $101.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.35. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $316.43 and a 12 month high of $448.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.85 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $2.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 21.91% and a net margin of 36.68%. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 14.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, COO Stuart A. Arbuckle sold 4,295 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total transaction of $1,804,930.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 75,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,819,732.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Stuart A. Arbuckle sold 4,295 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total value of $1,804,930.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 75,718 shares in the company, valued at $31,819,732.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total value of $150,697.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 55,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,755,762.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,381 shares of company stock valued at $5,203,249 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Maxim Group cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $515.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $446.00 to $472.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $424.62.

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.