Graphene Investments SAS Boosts Stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Graphene Investments SAS increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 22.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,300 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises approximately 2.1% of Graphene Investments SAS’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Graphene Investments SAS’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $3,251,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 63,781 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $449.20, for a total transaction of $28,650,425.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 24,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,792,479.20. The trade was a 72.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Charles F. Wagner, Jr. sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.00, for a total transaction of $6,384,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,202,600. This trade represents a 27.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 151,073 shares of company stock valued at $67,326,816. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $454.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $115.43 billion, a PE ratio of 32.08 and a beta of 0.32. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $362.50 and a twelve month high of $519.68. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $428.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $425.62.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.58 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.51% and a net margin of 31.35%.Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.38 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $423.00 to $415.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $564.00 price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $510.00 to $475.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $498.42.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.