Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Position Increased by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,755 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,868 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $6,170,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.2% in the second quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,123 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $945,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,442 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 501 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 349 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $137,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Defined Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.0% in the third quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC now owns 932 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VRTX. HC Wainwright set a $591.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $570.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $546.00 to $541.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $542.00.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $456.69 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $362.50 and a 12 month high of $519.68. The company has a market cap of $116.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.79 and a beta of 0.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $467.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $435.06.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.05 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.98 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total transaction of $2,394,361.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 17,559 shares in the company, valued at $8,562,646.35. The trade was a 21.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Edward Morrow Atkinson III sold 668 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total value of $324,881.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,964,403.20. This represents a 3.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 91,156 shares of company stock worth $42,845,497. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.