Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Sold by Sfmg LLC

Sfmg LLC lessened its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,649 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 96 shares during the quarter. Sfmg LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $3,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 28.6% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 275,135 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $110,800,000 after acquiring an additional 61,234 shares in the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2,589.5% during the fourth quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 9,736 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,921,000 after purchasing an additional 9,374 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 45.8% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 24,408 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $9,829,000 after purchasing an additional 7,671 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 60.6% during the fourth quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 7,521 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,029,000 after purchasing an additional 2,839 shares during the period. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 3,920 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,579,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $1,615,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,256,000. The trade was a 10.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,695 shares in the company, valued at $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,315 shares of company stock valued at $2,121,012. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VRTX shares. Bank of America decreased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $506.70.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of VRTX opened at $503.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $377.85 and a one year high of $519.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -228.73, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $467.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $462.69.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.