Schroder Investment Management Group Sells 42,151 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Schroder Investment Management Group lessened its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 163,628 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 42,151 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $65,345,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 14.2% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 11,244 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,229,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 14,409 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,701,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 28.7% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 2,315 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,077,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4,913.5% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 6,668 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,101,000 after buying an additional 6,535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beck Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.9% in the third quarter. Beck Capital Management LLC now owns 2,004 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $932,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $433.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $407.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $567.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $508.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $1,615,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. This represents a 10.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,315 shares of company stock valued at $2,121,012 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $484.82 on Tuesday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88. The business’s fifty day moving average is $477.71 and its 200 day moving average is $463.68. 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 $124.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -220.37, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced 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 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. Research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 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.