Machina Capital S.A.S. Acquires Shares of 11,167 Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 11,167 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,373,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% during the third quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.9% in the third quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Charles F. Wagner, Jr. sold 9,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $461.00, for a total value of $4,394,252.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,391,225. This represents a 20.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 63,781 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chairman directly owned 24,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,792,479.20. This represents a 72.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 165,105 shares of company stock valued at $73,858,523 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.4%

VRTX opened at $465.61 on Wednesday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $362.50 and a 52 week high of $519.68. The stock has a market cap of $118.13 billion, a PE ratio of 32.84 and a beta of 0.30. The business has a 50 day moving average of $455.45 and a 200-day moving average of $427.09.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.58 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.51% and a net margin of 31.35%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.38 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $564.00 price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $495.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $455.00 to $445.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wolfe Research raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $548.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $522.68.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.