Flputnam Investment Management Co. Purchases 22,141 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 238.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,443 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,141 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $12,662,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $479.79 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $123.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -218.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $377.85 and a 1 year high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 2.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $440.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $461.10.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.99 by ($0.45). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. As a group, analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total value of $111,034.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,084 shares of company stock worth $505,512. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VRTX shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, January 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $408.00 to $424.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $506.70.

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.