Private Advisor Group LLC Trims Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Private Advisor Group LLC trimmed its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,210 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 34 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,903,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total transaction of $142,547.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,438,776.43. This trade represents a 0.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VRTX shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $575.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $506.70.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $481.65 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $436.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $460.68. The stock has a market cap of $123.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -218.93, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $377.85 and a 12 month high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company 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.