Xponance Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 48,507 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $19,534,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 62.7% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,817 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,310,000 after acquiring an additional 1,086 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 24.1% in the 3rd quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,128,000 after buying an additional 471 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3,856.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 3,284 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,527,000 after buying an additional 3,201 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,634 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,620,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 5,672 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,638,000 after buying an additional 855 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.8 %

VRTX opened at $513.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $131.93 billion, a P/E ratio of -233.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $459.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $461.84. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $377.85 and a 52 week high of $519.88. 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 released 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $1,615,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. This trade represents a 10.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 58,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,825,928.26. This represents a 0.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRTX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Oppenheimer downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $506.70.

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.