Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC Has $976,000 Stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,424 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the period. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $976,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $483,000. Peloton Wealth Strategists increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 177.4% in the 4th quarter. Peloton Wealth Strategists now owns 6,034 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,430,000 after buying an additional 3,859 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 58,946.6% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 393,841 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $158,600,000 after buying an additional 393,174 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 39,060 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $15,729,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nwam LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 6,178 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,488,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $474.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69. The firm has a market cap of $121.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -215.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $377.85 and a 52 week high of $519.88. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $438.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $460.99.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.99 by ($0.45). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $500.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $506.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total value of $142,547.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,438,776.43. This trade represents a 0.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Profile

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.