HealthInvest Partners AB Takes $3.72 Million Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

HealthInvest Partners AB purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 9,130 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $3,715,000. Vertex Pharmaceuticals accounts for approximately 2.9% of HealthInvest Partners AB's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,983,356 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $7,644,492,000 after buying an additional 87,397 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,409,257 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,700,938,000 after purchasing an additional 26,538 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,870,101 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $998,050,000 after purchasing an additional 89,217 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,813,563 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $978,388,000 after purchasing an additional 131,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth $707,950,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, COO Stuart A. Arbuckle sold 4,295 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, COO Stuart A. Arbuckle sold 4,295 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total transaction of $1,804,930.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 75,718 shares in the company, valued at $31,819,732.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 3,222 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,250,727.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,381 shares of company stock valued at $5,203,249 over the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRTX has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $438.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $325.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $424.62.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

VRTX traded down $3.19 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $394.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 693,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,254,174. The business's 50-day moving average price is $415.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $396.46. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $316.43 and a 12 month high of $448.40. The stock has a market cap of $101.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 3.99, a quick ratio of 3.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

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

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.

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