Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Purchased by Roman Butler Fullerton & Co.

Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 97.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,088 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,521 shares during the quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co.'s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,325,695 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $11,406,667,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514,993 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,258,288 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $9,366,113,000 after purchasing an additional 98,654 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,428,951 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,199,713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426,746 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,916,084 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,382,407,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117,214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 3,772,789 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,519,302,000 after buying an additional 704,575 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRTX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $535.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $512.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $513.32.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRTX stock opened at $441.99 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $113.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -112.75 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $461.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $459.86. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $377.85 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.23). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 8.91% and a negative return on equity of 3.36%. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.76 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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