J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 147.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,753 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 1,044 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $850,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 46.2% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 95 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VRTX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $464.00 to $460.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Leerink Partners reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $503.00 target price (down previously from $550.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $512.30.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of VRTX stock traded down $2.62 on Friday, hitting $469.65. 1,176,853 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,076,910. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $453.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $464.68. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $377.85 and a one year high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a current ratio of 2.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -119.81 and a beta of 0.41.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 3.36% and a negative net margin of 8.91%. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.85 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.76 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company 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.