Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Downgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on VRTX. UBS Group dropped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $457.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a hold rating to a sell rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $332.00 to $379.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Maxim Group cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $429.45.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $394.28 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $101.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.39, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.35. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $316.43 and a 12 month high of $448.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 3.99 and a quick ratio of 3.78. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $413.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $397.42.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 21.91% and a net margin of 36.68%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals will post 14.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total transaction of $150,697.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,755,762.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total value of $150,697.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,804 shares in the company, valued at $23,755,762.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Stuart A. Arbuckle sold 4,295 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total value of $1,804,930.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 75,718 shares in the company, valued at $31,819,732.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,381 shares of company stock worth $5,203,249 over the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,293 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $933,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 636 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,932 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,193,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,001 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 800 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

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.