Dempze Nancy E Acquires 986 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Dempze Nancy E increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 16.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,063 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 986 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises about 2.1% of Dempze Nancy E's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Dempze Nancy E's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $3,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aries Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter valued at approximately $293,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at $22,954,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 45.0% during the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,421 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,994 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 25.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,002 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the period. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 189.7% in the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 359,285 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $139,724,000 after acquiring an additional 235,265 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $475.12 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $122.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -121.02 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $377.85 and a 12-month high of $519.88. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $449.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $463.28.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.76 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on VRTX. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $464.00 to $460.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Leerink Partnrs lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Leerink Partners restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price objective (down previously from $550.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $511.71.

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.

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