Simon Quick Advisors LLC Has $1.42 Million Stock Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 31.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,933 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 697 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,422,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,783,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $165,000. Portfolio Design Labs LLC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,126 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,870,000 after purchasing an additional 2,547 shares during the period. Finally, Leavell Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,311 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,541,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.7%

VRTX stock traded up $7.62 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $460.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,074,482 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,416,995. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $118.14 billion, a PE ratio of -209.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $377.85 and a 12 month high of $519.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $463.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $460.26.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The business had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. The business's revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.76 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on VRTX. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $535.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Leerink Partners reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $503.00 target price (down from $550.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $515.04.

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.