Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Sold by Nia Impact Advisors LLC

Nia Impact Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 15,932 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 1,395 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals makes up about 2.1% of Nia Impact Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Nia Impact Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $6,416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $1,374,948,000. Parnassus Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $731,283,000. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 28,325,695 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $11,406,667,000 after buying an additional 1,514,993 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,428,951 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,199,713,000 after buying an additional 1,426,746 shares during the period. Finally, Edgewood Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 91.2% in the 4th quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 2,956,608 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,190,626,000 after buying an additional 1,410,238 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.7%

VRTX stock opened at $432.00 on Wednesday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $377.85 and a 52 week high of $519.88. The company has a market capitalization of $110.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -196.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $486.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $465.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.23). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.76 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $1,615,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,000. The trade was a 10.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 530 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.34, for a total transaction of $251,930.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 58,539 shares in the company, valued at $27,825,928.26. The trade was a 0.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,005 shares of company stock worth $1,978,465. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRTX has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $462.00 to $464.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $515.04.

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.