Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Stock Holdings Lowered by Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 14.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 148,304 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 24,517 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals accounts for approximately 3.4% of Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $71,901,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,783,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 5,463 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,200,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,741 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $745,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $450.91 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $462.11 and its 200-day moving average is $459.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.79 billion, a PE ratio of -204.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $377.85 and a 12-month high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.76 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on VRTX. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $462.00 to $464.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $442.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $515.04.

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.

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