Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Sold by GTS Securities LLC

GTS Securities LLC decreased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 54.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,329 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 3,958 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,341,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth $1,374,948,000. Parnassus Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $731,283,000. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,325,695 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $11,406,667,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514,993 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $4,199,713,000 after acquiring an additional 1,426,746 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edgewood Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,410,238 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VRTX. Leerink Partnrs lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $408.00 to $424.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Leerink Partners reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $503.00 target price (down previously from $550.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $515.04.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $1,615,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,256,000. The trade was a 10.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of VRTX stock traded up $1.12 during trading on Thursday, hitting $446.22. 271,146 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,413,915. 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 $114.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -202.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $472.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $461.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 2.35.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 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 company had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.76 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.