Advisory Alpha LLC Sells 749 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Advisory Alpha LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 58.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 543 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 749 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 60,572.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,425,070 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,175,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,421,073 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 8.6% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,473 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $714,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.5% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 513 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Capital Advisors llc boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 8.7% during the first quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 601 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VRTX shares. Leerink Partners restated a "market perform" rating and set a $503.00 price target (down from $550.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $420.00 to $423.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $515.04.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $1,615,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,256,000. This trade represents a 10.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $2.03 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $443.82. 1,399,850 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,418,346. The stock's fifty day moving average is $465.69 and its 200-day moving average is $460.25. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $377.85 and a 12 month high of $519.88. The stock has a market cap of $113.97 billion, a P/E ratio of -201.74, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

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