CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp Sells 4,392 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp reduced its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 16.6%, selling 4,392 shares and leaving it with 21,996 shares valued at approximately $9.79 million.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported $4.52 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations and achieving a 31.86% net margin on revenues of $2.94 billion.
• Vertex stock has an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $493.81, reflecting a generally positive outlook from analysts.

CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp trimmed its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,996 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 4,392 shares during the quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $9,793,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,783,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at about $167,000. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 5,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,631,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 757 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 74.9% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 584 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 3.2%

VRTX opened at $404.21 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $103.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.89 and a beta of 0.43. The company's 50 day moving average is $401.71 and its 200 day moving average is $444.45. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $519.88.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $485.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $442.00 to $438.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $493.81.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Bruce I. Sachs bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $389.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,948,400.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at $17,535,600. This represents a 12.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.

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