Alyeska Investment Group L.P. Purchases 74,182 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Free Report) by 2,212.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 77,535 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 74,182 shares during the quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P.'s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $31,223,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 2,186 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 3,279 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,525,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 410,359 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $190,850,000 after acquiring an additional 21,649 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 105.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 330 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,997 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,610,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 10.0 %

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $50.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $450.03. 7,998,848 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,371,270. The stock has a market capitalization of $115.69 billion, a PE ratio of -204.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $377.85 and a 52 week high of $519.88. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $491.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $466.80.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.29 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.86% and a negative return on equity of 2.02%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.76 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on VRTX shares. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $512.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $420.00 to $423.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets set a $545.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $515.04.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total transaction 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 $30,805,286.70. This represents a 0.36 % 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 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 owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. The trade was a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.