Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Has $73.54 Million Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in Vertex by 8.2% to 162,206 shares, now worth roughly $73.54 million (about 0.06% of the company) after Q4 purchases.
• Vertex reported Q4 EPS of $5.03 (missing estimates by $0.02) and revenue of $3.19 billion—up 9.5% year-over-year—with a market cap of $108.36 billion and a P/E of 27.79.
• Analysts remain broadly positive—MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $555—despite insiders selling roughly $37.9 million of stock over the last quarter.

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 162,206 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 12,351 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.06% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $73,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% in the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.9% in the third quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 345.0% in the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 89 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $426.01 on Tuesday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $510.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $456.54 and a 200-day moving average of $449.10. The company has a market capitalization of $108.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.36.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 24.30% and a net margin of 32.94%.Vertex Pharmaceuticals's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.98 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.77 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VRTX. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $580.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $591.00 to $641.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $577.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $555.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Jonathan Biller sold 945 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $459,600.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,643,054.65. The trade was a 6.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Mark E. Bunnage sold 620 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $301,537.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,542,573.40. This trade represents a 7.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 80,431 shares of company stock valued at $37,875,167. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.

Vertex's marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.

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