Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Stock Holdings Boosted by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,663,849 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,502 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $670,032,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $486.22 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $443.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $461.12. 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 stock has a market cap of $124.86 billion, a PE ratio of -221.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $377.85 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued 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, equities research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 67,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,084 shares of company stock valued at $505,512. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VRTX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $433.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $506.70.

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.