Lighthouse Financial LLC Invests $1.49 Million in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Lighthouse Financial LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,705 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $1,492,000. Vertex Pharmaceuticals makes up about 1.2% of Lighthouse Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 99 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of VRTX stock traded down $4.08 on Friday, hitting $443.01. The company had a trading volume of 2,581,676 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,424,513. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $377.85 and a twelve month high of $519.88. The firm has a market cap of $113.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -201.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $470.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $461.47. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.85 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.86% and a negative return on equity of 2.02%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.76 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Leerink Partners reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price target (down previously from $550.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Fourteen equities research 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $515.04.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. This trade represents a 10.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.