Insider Selling: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Sells 244 Shares of Stock

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total value of $111,034.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 67,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Ourania Tatsis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 11th, Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total value of $142,547.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 2.1 %

NASDAQ:VRTX traded up $9.65 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $471.76. The company had a trading volume of 1,453,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,540,653. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $377.85 and a twelve month high of $519.88. The firm has a market cap of $121.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -214.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $435.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $460.44. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.99 by ($0.45). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. On average, equities analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VRTX shares. Citigroup initiated coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $575.00 price target for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $480.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $402.00 to $407.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $505.57.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

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.