Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Sold by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lessened its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 94.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,032 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 48,224 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.5% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 151,056 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $59,160,000 after acquiring an additional 6,468 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,756 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,863,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Exane Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Little House Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 67.4% in the 3rd quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 9,760 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,822,000 after purchasing an additional 3,930 shares during the period. Finally, AGH Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 74.4% in the 3rd quarter. AGH Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 935 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VRTX shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $455.00 to $445.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $548.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $455.00 to $546.00 in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $517.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $522.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 4,500 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $474.99, for a total value of $2,137,455.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,088,752.07. The trade was a 9.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Charles F. Wagner, Jr. sold 9,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $461.00, for a total transaction of $4,394,252.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,391,225. This trade represents a 20.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 165,105 shares of company stock valued at $73,858,523 over the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $469.90 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $362.50 and a 52-week high of $519.68. The stock has a market cap of $119.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.14 and a beta of 0.31. The business has a fifty day moving average of $453.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $427.54.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.80 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 analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.38 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Profile

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.