Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Purchased by Catalina Capital Group LLC

Catalina Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 873 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Catalina Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $352,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $470.37 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.47. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $434.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $462.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.13 billion, a PE ratio of -236.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.77. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.67 EPS. Analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.93 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VRTX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Barclays cut their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $509.00 to $418.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $566.00 to $520.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $502.58.

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.