Graphene Investments SAS Trims Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Graphene Investments SAS cut its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,500 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 600 shares during the quarter. Graphene Investments SAS’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,618,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $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. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $33,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup began coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $575.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $509.00 to $418.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $500.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $502.58.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.5 %

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $481.16 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $377.85 and a 12 month high of $519.88. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $435.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $462.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

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

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.