Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Raises Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management raised its stake in Vertex by 3.9% in Q4 to 394,200 shares (about $178.7 million), and institutions now own roughly 90.96% of the stock as several other funds also added or initiated positions.
• Company insiders have been net sellers: CMO Carmen Bozic sold 2,329 shares at $481.79 and EVP Joy Liu sold 978 shares at $449.17 (the latter under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan); insiders disposed of 80,431 shares worth ~$37.9 million in the last quarter and now hold ~0.20% of the company.
• Stock and analyst outlook: VRTX trades around a $110.97 billion market cap with a P/E of 28.46 and a 1‑year range of $362.50–$510.77; Wall Street consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $555 (majority of analysts rate it Buy).

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 394,200 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,829 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.16% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $178,715,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.8% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 544,978 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $213,435,000 after buying an additional 20,053 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $5,030,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $64,417,000. Advisory Resource Group purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $1,286,000. Finally, Legacy Capital Group California Inc. purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $956,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 2,329 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.79, for a total value of $1,122,088.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 35,405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,057,774.95. This trade represents a 6.17% decrease 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. Also, EVP Joy Liu sold 978 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $449.17, for a total value of $439,288.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,806,728.61. This trade represents a 4.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 80,431 shares of company stock valued at $37,875,167. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRTX stock opened at $436.27 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $362.50 and a 1 year high of $510.77. The firm has a market cap of $110.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.36. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $464.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $445.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. The company had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.98 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on VRTX shares. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $577.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $546.00 to $541.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $548.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $555.00.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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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