PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co Sells 5,800 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co decreased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 76.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,800 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 5,800 shares during the quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $873,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,427 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,783,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 27.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 5,463 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,200,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,741 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.0%

VRTX opened at $450.91 on Tuesday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $377.85 and a twelve month high of $519.88. The company has a fifty day moving average of $462.11 and a 200-day moving average of $459.98. The stock has a market cap of $115.79 billion, a PE ratio of -204.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.85 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. The business’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.76 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on VRTX. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $420.00 to $423.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wolfe Research downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $512.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $515.04.

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.