Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Acquired by Aureus Asset Management LLC

Aureus Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 237.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,142 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,324 shares during the period. Aureus Asset Management LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 277.8% during the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 68 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 4,062 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $1,827,900.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 16,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,628,850. The trade was a 19.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Joy Liu sold 1,104 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.02, for a total value of $469,222.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,729 shares in the company, valued at $8,810,239.58. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,195 shares of company stock valued at $6,801,006. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on VRTX shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $580.00 target price on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $437.00 to $436.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $607.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $555.91.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $458.99 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.49 billion, a PE ratio of 27.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.30. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $362.50 and a 52-week high of $507.92. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $438.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $453.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.99 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.86% and a net margin of 35.51%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.06 EPS. Analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.

Vertex's marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.

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