Hantz Financial Services Inc. Purchases 4,864 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 356.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,230 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,864 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,440,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,783,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at approximately $134,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 128.3% in the second quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 137 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Dempze Nancy E boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dempze Nancy E now owns 7,180 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,197,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 12,500 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,565,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.5%

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $458.81 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $362.50 and a 12 month high of $519.68. The stock has a market cap of $116.41 billion, a PE ratio of 32.36 and a beta of 0.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $456.75 and its 200 day moving average is $427.61.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.58 by $0.22. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 31.35% and a return on equity of 23.51%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRTX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $455.00 to $445.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $456.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $495.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $414.00 to $606.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $522.68.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 63,781 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $449.20, for a total transaction of $28,650,425.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 24,026 shares in the company, valued at $10,792,479.20. This trade represents a 72.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $474.99, for a total value of $2,137,455.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,293 shares in the company, valued at $20,088,752.07. This represents a 9.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 165,105 shares of company stock valued at $73,858,523. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.

Vertex’s marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.