B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Buys 199,847 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its stake in Vertex by 63.4% in Q4, buying 199,847 shares to hold 515,269 shares (about 0.20% of the company), a position valued at roughly $233.6 million and representing ~2.0% of the firm’s holdings.
• Company insiders have been net sellers, offloading 80,431 shares worth about $37.9 million over the past three months, including filings showing EVP sales, leaving insiders with roughly 0.20% ownership.
• Sell-side analysts remain constructive: the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target price of about $555, following several recent upgrades and raised price targets.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 63.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 515,269 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 199,847 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises approximately 2.0% of B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG owned about 0.20% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $233,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 545 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 730 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 5,026 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,279,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Mark E. Bunnage sold 2,021 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total value of $930,529.03. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,945,993.02. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total value of $2,394,361.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,562,646.35. This represents a 21.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 80,431 shares of company stock worth $37,875,167 over the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on VRTX shares. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Citigroup raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $495.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $590.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $555.00.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $437.67 on Thursday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $362.50 and a 12 month high of $510.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $459.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $448.46. The company has a market capitalization of $111.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.36.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.05 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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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