GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Invests $23.83 Million in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 59,178 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $23,831,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VRTX. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,374,948,000. Parnassus Investments LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at about $731,283,000. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,325,695 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $11,406,667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,514,993 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,428,951 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,199,713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426,746 shares during the period. Finally, Edgewood Management LLC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 91.2% during the fourth quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 2,956,608 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,190,626,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410,238 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.2%

VRTX stock traded down $0.90 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $445.10. 1,207,821 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,418,257. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -202.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50 day moving average of $473.44 and a 200-day moving average of $461.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.23). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.76 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on VRTX. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wolfe Research downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets set a $545.00 price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $515.04.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $1,615,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,256,000. This trade represents a 10.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 530 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.34, for a total value of $251,930.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,539 shares in the company, valued at $27,825,928.26. This trade represents a 0.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,813 shares of company stock valued at $1,889,514 over the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.