Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft Has $513,000 Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Key Points

• Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 55.2%, selling 1,366 shares and holding a total of 1,110 shares valued at approximately $513,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals' most recent earnings report revealed an EPS of $4.06, missing analyst expectations of $4.29, with revenue for the quarter at $2.77 billion, below the expected $2.85 billion.
• Analysts issued mixed ratings on Vertex Pharmaceuticals, with an average target price of $512.30 and a current average rating of "Moderate Buy", though 14 analysts rated the stock as a hold.

Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 55.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,110 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 1,366 shares during the period. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $513,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 10.7% in the first quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 629 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 34.6% in the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,455 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $706,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 129.5% in the first quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 34,935 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $15,632,000 after buying an additional 19,710 shares during the last quarter. S&CO Inc. acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth approximately $1,989,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth approximately $4,993,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $512.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of VRTX stock traded up $5.26 on Friday, hitting $462.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,855,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,041,408. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.29. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $377.85 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $455.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $466.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -117.89 and a beta of 0.44.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $2.85 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 3.36% and a negative net margin of 8.91%. The firm's revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.76 EPS. 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.