Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Bought by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Vertex by 4.8% in Q4 to 334,898 shares, valued at about $151.8 million (≈0.13% ownership).
• Vertex posted quarterly EPS of $5.03 (missed by $0.02) and revenue of $3.19 billion (up 9.5% YoY); the company has a market cap of $111.05 billion, a P/E of 28.48, and a 52‑week range of $362.50–$510.77.
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus target of $555 and a "Moderate Buy" rating (22 Buys, 6 Holds, 1 Strong Buy); meanwhile insiders sold ~80,431 shares (~$37.9M) in the last 90 days and institutions own about 90.96% of the stock.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 334,898 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,431 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.13% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $151,802,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% during the third quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its stake 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.9% during the third quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 345.0% during the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 89 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $436.59 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $111.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.36. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $362.50 and a one year high of $510.77. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $460.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $448.54.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 24.30% and a net margin of 32.94%.The business had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.98 EPS. The business's revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Mark E. Bunnage sold 2,021 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total value of $930,529.03. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,945,993.02. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Biller sold 1,925 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.43, for a total transaction of $886,327.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,819 shares in the company, valued at $9,585,692.17. This represents a 8.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 80,431 shares of company stock valued at $37,875,167 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VRTX shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Maxim Group upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $575.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $596.00 to $612.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $411.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $555.00.

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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