Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Sold by Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC has reduced its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.4%, owning 33,049 shares after selling 3,412 shares in the first quarter.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported $4.52 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $4.24, with a revenue of $2.94 billion.
• A significant increase in institutional investment occurred, with hedge funds holding 90.96% of Vertex's stock, reflecting strong interest from major investors.

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,049 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 3,412 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals accounts for about 0.9% of Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $16,023,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Capital World Investors grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,325,695 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $11,406,667,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514,993 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,491,161 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $11,388,985,000 after acquiring an additional 232,873 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,428,951 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,199,713,000 after acquiring an additional 1,426,746 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,062,442 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,454,373,000 after acquiring an additional 744,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,833,889 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,141,277,000 after acquiring an additional 317,058 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $8.15 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $395.92. 1,913,607 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,284,947. The company's fifty day moving average price is $447.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $464.48. The company has a market cap of $101.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.30 and a beta of 0.44. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $362.50 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.28. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.91% and a net margin of 31.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($12.83) EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Director Bruce I. Sachs acquired 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $389.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,948,400.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 45,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,535,600. This trade represents a 12.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. HC Wainwright dropped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $478.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $485.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $439.00 target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group set a $553.00 price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $497.10.

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.