BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. Invests $3.81 Million in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 9,472 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $3,814,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 2,186 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 10.1% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 3,279 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,525,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 410,359 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $190,850,000 after purchasing an additional 21,649 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 105.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 330 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,997 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,610,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

VRTX stock traded down $15.21 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $434.82. The company had a trading volume of 3,996,684 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,380,806. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $377.85 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -197.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50 day moving average of $491.94 and a 200 day moving average of $466.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.23). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.76 earnings per share. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on VRTX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $512.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $533.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $550.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $420.00 to $423.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Leerink Partnrs cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $515.04.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 directly owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. The trade was a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total value of $142,547.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 64,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,438,776.43. The trade was a 0.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,315 shares of company stock valued at $2,121,012 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.