ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd Sells 62,105 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 32.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 127,295 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 62,105 shares during the period. Vertex Pharmaceuticals accounts for 2.2% of ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $59,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Annapolis Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $323,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,217,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Reshma Kewalramani sold 15,202 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $497.00, for a total value of $7,555,394.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 106,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,767,484. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,217,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 43,615 shares of company stock valued at $21,417,310 over the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $468.57 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $340.83 and a 52-week high of $510.64. The company has a quick ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $483.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $448.06. The firm has a market cap of $120.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.41 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The pharmaceutical company reported ($12.83) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($12.54) by ($0.29). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.74% and a negative return on equity of 2.45%. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.53 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VRTX. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $424.00 to $421.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $402.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $485.91.

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.