Tweedy Browne Co LLC Sells 1,063 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Tweedy Browne Co LLC has reduced its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.8%, now owning 37,253 shares valued at approximately $16.58 million.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported a Q2 EPS of $4.52, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $2.94 billion, representing an 11.3% year-over-year increase.
• Major Wall Street analysts have set multi-target price revisions for Vertex, with JPMorgan raising its target to $530.00 and UBS setting a target of $553.00, indicating strong market optimism for the company's prospects.

Tweedy Browne Co LLC cut its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 2.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,253 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 1,063 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals makes up approximately 1.5% of Tweedy Browne Co LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Tweedy Browne Co LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $16,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 450.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 55 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. American National Bank & Trust raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 515.4% in the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 80 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $408.61 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $362.50 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88. The stock's 50-day moving average is $394.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $437.23. The firm has a market cap of $104.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.21 and a beta of 0.43.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the firm posted ($12.83) EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on VRTX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $517.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial set a $490.00 price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. UBS Group set a $553.00 price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Leerink Partners raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their target price for the company from $458.00 to $456.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $439.00 to $438.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $494.38.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Bruce I. Sachs bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $389.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,948,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at $17,535,600. The trade was a 12.50% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.

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