Woodline Partners LP Purchases 3,742 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Key Points

• Woodline Partners LP has increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals to 153,160 shares after acquiring an additional 3,742 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to a value of approximately $74.25 million.
• Insider activity was noted as Director Bruce I. Sachs purchased 5,000 shares at an average price of $389.68, increasing his ownership in the company by 12.50%.
• Analysts have set varying price targets for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, with Morgan Stanley setting a target of $439.00 and several others adjusting their ratings from "strong-buy" to "buy" or "hold".

Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 153,160 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,742 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP owned 0.06% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $74,255,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VRTX. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 450.0% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 55 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX traded up $8.82 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $397.37. 1,329,815 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,405,562. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $362.50 and a one year high of $519.88. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $423.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $454.15. The company has a market cap of $101.88 billion, a PE ratio of 28.40 and a beta of 0.44.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.28. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.91% and a net margin of 31.86%.The business had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($12.83) EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on VRTX. Morgan Stanley set a $439.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $510.00 to $475.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $430.00 to $405.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Truist Financial set a $490.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $515.00 to $517.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $496.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Bruce I. Sachs purchased 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $389.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,948,400.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,535,600. This trade represents a 12.50% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.