3,167 Shares in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Bought by Sandro Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Sandro Wealth Management established a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) in Q4, buying 3,167 shares worth about $1.436 million.
• Insiders have been net sellers: recent sales include EVP Duncan McKechnie and CMO Carmen Bozic, and insiders sold 80,431 shares (~$37.9 million) over the last three months while owning just 0.20% of the company.
• Analysts remain generally positive with a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a $554.83 target; several firms raised price targets (Oppenheimer to $600, UBS to $545, Maxim to $575), while Vertex trades with a market cap around $107.8 billion and a one‑year range of $362.50–$509.00.

Sandro Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,167 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $1,436,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Archer Investment Corp boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 74 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 77 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $423.92 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $107.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.65, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $362.50 and a one year high of $509.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $453.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $448.92.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 24.30% and a net margin of 32.94%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.98 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VRTX. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $441.00 to $437.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $548.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Maxim Group upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $575.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $554.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total value of $2,394,361.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,559 shares in the company, valued at $8,562,646.35. This trade represents a 21.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 2,329 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.79, for a total transaction of $1,122,088.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 35,405 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,057,774.95. This represents a 6.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 80,431 shares of company stock worth $37,875,167. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.

Vertex's marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.

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