Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Has $2.98 Million Stock Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 89.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,400 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 63,371 shares during the quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,980,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 99 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 108.2% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 102 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX traded down $50.16 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $450.03. 7,998,848 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,371,270. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $377.85 and a 52 week high of $519.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.69 billion, a PE ratio of -204.56, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51. The company's 50 day moving average is $492.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $466.91.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.76 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on VRTX. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Leerink Partners reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $503.00 target price (down from $550.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $420.00 to $423.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $515.04.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. The trade was a 10.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total value of $111,034.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.