2,500 Shares in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Acquired by Westport Asset Management Inc.

Westport Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,500 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $1,007,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 99 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $1,615,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,256,000. The trade was a 10.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 530 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.34, for a total transaction of $251,930.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,539 shares in the company, valued at $27,825,928.26. This represents a 0.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,813 shares of company stock valued at $1,889,514. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of VRTX traded up $1.97 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $436.00. 1,427,218 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,415,109. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $476.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $463.12. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $377.85 and a 52 week high of $519.88. The company has a market cap of $111.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -198.18, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.23). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.76 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on VRTX. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Leerink Partnrs cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $462.00 to $464.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Thirteen equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.