Aviso Financial Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Aviso Financial Inc. increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 53.8%, now holding shares worth $897,000.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds now own 90.96% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals' stock, indicating strong institutional support.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals' recent quarterly earnings exceeded analyst expectations, reporting $4.52 earnings per share and $2.94 billion in revenue, up 11.3% year-over-year.

Aviso Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 53.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,850 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 647 shares during the period. Aviso Financial Inc.'s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $897,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VRTX. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 450.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 55 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 46.2% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 95 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth about $48,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the subject of several analyst reports. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $485.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Leerink Partnrs lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. BMO Capital Markets set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $497.10.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Bruce I. Sachs bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $389.68 per share, with a total value of $1,948,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,535,600. This trade represents a 12.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.8%

VRTX traded up $3.10 on Thursday, reaching $397.46. 1,851,693 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,487,458. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $362.50 and a one year high of $519.88. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $440.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $462.13. The company has a market cap of $101.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.41 and a beta of 0.44.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.28. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 31.86% and a return on equity of 23.91%. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($12.83) EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

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.