OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 922 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $458,000.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,975,849,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $1,440,149,000. AIGH Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth about $26,725,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth about $830,842,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $784,391,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages recently commented on VRTX. UBS Group raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $590.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $615.00 to $617.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $543.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $563.50.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $548.05 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $374.17 and a 1 year high of $555.32. The firm has a market cap of $139.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.30. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $492.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $465.92.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.74 by ($0.01). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 35.00% and a return on equity of 23.09%. The business had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.52 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 1,541 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $519.00, for a total transaction of $799,779.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,709,519. This trade represents a 12.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 1,500 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $524.99, for a total transaction of $787,485.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,793,071.79. This trade represents a 3.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 10,464 shares of company stock worth $4,959,397 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.
About Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.
Vertex’s marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.
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