10,298 Shares in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Bought by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired 10,298 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter, valued at approximately $4.99 million.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals has received mixed analyst ratings, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $512.30.
• Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals are currently priced at $460.83, with a market capitalization of $118.34 billion.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,298 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $4,993,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 60,572.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,425,070 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,175,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,421,073 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,325,695 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $11,406,667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,514,993 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,428,951 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,199,713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426,746 shares in the last quarter. Edgewood Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 91.2% in the fourth quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 2,956,608 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,190,626,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,916,084 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,382,407,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117,214 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VRTX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $420.00 price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $515.00 to $517.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Fourteen 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $512.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of VRTX stock traded up $5.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $462.17. The stock had a trading volume of 1,151,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,515,568. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $377.85 and a one year high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.29. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $455.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $466.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -117.90 and a beta of 0.41.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted 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 company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.76 EPS. Equities analysts forecast 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.