AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Lowers Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd reduced its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 219,075 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 7,299 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $88,222,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.6% during the third quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 3,710 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,751,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% during the third quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 892 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $415,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 2,236 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $900,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 17.6% in the third quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 167 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total value of $142,547.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,438,776.43. The trade was a 0.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRTX has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $433.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $480.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $505.96.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $459.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 2.20. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $435.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $461.80.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.99 by ($0.45). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.94 earnings per share 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.