Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Sells 4,400 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lowered its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 121,500 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 4,400 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $49,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VRTX. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $707,950,000. Macquarie Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 232.3% during the 2nd quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 933,179 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $262,961,000 after purchasing an additional 652,321 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 33.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,578,444 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $744,603,000 after purchasing an additional 640,899 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 144.6% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 576,398 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $166,452,000 after purchasing an additional 340,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BSN CAPITAL PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $81,378,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX traded down $3.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $396.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,200,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 878,967. The company has a market cap of $102.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.55, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.35. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $316.43 and a twelve month high of $448.40. The business's fifty day moving average is $416.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $395.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 3.99 and a quick ratio of 3.78.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 36.68% and a return on equity of 21.91%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 14.95 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $390.00 to $438.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Robert W. Baird lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $397.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $515.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $420.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, COO Stuart A. Arbuckle sold 4,295 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total value of $1,804,930.80. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 75,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,819,732.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 3,222 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total transaction of $1,354,013.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,250,727.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Stuart A. Arbuckle sold 4,295 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total value of $1,804,930.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 75,718 shares in the company, valued at $31,819,732.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,381 shares of company stock valued at $5,203,249. 0.40% of the stock is currently 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.