Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Bought by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 74.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 265,684 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 113,176 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $106,991,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 99 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $429.60 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $110.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -195.27, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 2.35. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $377.85 and a 12 month high of $519.88. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $489.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $466.24.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.23). The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.85 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.86% and a negative return on equity of 2.02%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.76 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRTX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets set a $545.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $512.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $420.00 to $423.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $515.04.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total transaction of $111,034.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. This represents a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.