Country Trust Bank Sells 10,489 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Country Trust Bank trimmed its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 83,602 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 10,489 shares during the quarter. Country Trust Bank’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $33,667,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.6% in the third quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 3,710 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,751,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 804 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 410 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $191,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 892 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $438.40 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $112.90 billion, a P/E ratio of -220.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $377.85 and a 12-month high of $519.88. The business’s 50 day moving average is $434.34 and its 200-day moving average is $463.31.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.77. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.52% and a negative return on equity of 1.91%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VRTX. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, January 13th. 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 research note on Thursday, December 19th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $490.00 to $494.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $495.36.

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.