IFM Investors Pty Ltd Purchases 4,691 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 9.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,422 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,691 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $24,846,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VRTX. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 513 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 99 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 3,603 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,451,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Sculati Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.1% in the first quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,225 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRTX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $512.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $511.62.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $454.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.29 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 50 day moving average of $451.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $458.44. The company has a market capitalization of $116.75 billion, a PE ratio of -115.98 and a beta of 0.41.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.23). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 8.91% and a negative return on equity of 3.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.76 earnings per share. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast 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.

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