Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Bought by Holderness Investments Co.

Holderness Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 3.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,364 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Holderness Investments Co.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $661,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 450.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 55 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 46.2% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 95 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Director Bruce I. Sachs acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $389.68 per share, for a total transaction of $1,948,400.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at $17,535,600. The trade was a 12.50% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VRTX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $430.00 to $405.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $485.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $558.00 to $546.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $494.00 to $455.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $497.10.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $395.92 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $447.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $464.48. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $519.88. The company has a market cap of $101.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.30 and a beta of 0.44.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.28. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.91% and a net margin of 31.86%. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($12.83) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company 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.