Arjuna Capital Cuts Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Arjuna Capital reduced its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 27.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,000 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 1,541 shares during the period. Arjuna Capital's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,939,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 46.2% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 95 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth $46,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRTX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $420.00 target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Erste Group Bank lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wolfe Research lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $512.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $511.62.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.2%

VRTX stock traded down $10.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $468.85. 892,738 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,426,652. The stock has a market cap of $120.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -119.60 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. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $377.85 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $447.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $460.76.

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

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.