Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Bought by Vident Advisory LLC

Vident Advisory LLC raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 137.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 19,834 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,476 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $7,987,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 99 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.34, for a total value of $251,930.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 58,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,825,928.26. This trade represents a 0.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. The trade was a 10.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,813 shares of company stock worth $1,889,514 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $440.66 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $113.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -200.30, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $377.85 and a 1-year high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 2.35. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $481.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $464.15.

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 company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.85 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. The company’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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 note on Tuesday, May 6th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $515.04.

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.