Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) is China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s 8th Largest Position

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lowered its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 48,866 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 3,515 shares during the period. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises 2.2% of China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $23,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $1,374,948,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 60,572.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,425,070 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,175,722,000 after buying an additional 2,421,073 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $731,283,000. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,325,695 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $11,406,667,000 after buying an additional 1,514,993 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,428,951 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,199,713,000 after buying an additional 1,426,746 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VRTX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Leerink Partners reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $503.00 price objective (down from $550.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $464.00 to $460.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $511.62.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of VRTX traded up $0.57 on Thursday, reaching $479.53. The stock had a trading volume of 932,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,422,019. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -122.33 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a current ratio of 2.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $448.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $459.47. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $377.85 and a 12-month high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.85 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 8.91% and a negative return on equity of 3.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.76 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict 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.