Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC Sells 3,032 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 36,461 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 3,032 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $14,732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 21.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 417 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,858 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $864,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 133.8% in the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,272 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $592,000 after acquiring an additional 728 shares in the last quarter. Boston Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at about $263,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $408.00 to $424.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $490.00 to $494.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $506.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total transaction of $111,034.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $1,615,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,256,000. This represents a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.5 %

VRTX opened at $509.04 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $130.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -231.38, 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. The company’s 50 day moving average is $471.81 and its 200-day moving average is $463.08. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $377.85 and a 1-year 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 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%. Equities research analysts predict 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.