Broadleaf Partners LLC Sells 201 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Broadleaf Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,923 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 201 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals makes up about 1.6% of Broadleaf Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Broadleaf Partners LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $6,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Ltd. CA raised its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Ltd. CA now owns 110,571 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $44,527,000 after buying an additional 10,966 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 8,638 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195 shares in the last quarter. Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. now owns 23,581 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $9,496,000 after purchasing an additional 2,435 shares during the period. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $137,930,000. Finally, Capital International Sarl grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 168,592 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $67,892,000 after purchasing an additional 25,544 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VRTX shares. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $550.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $408.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $512.41.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $489.10 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69. The stock has a market cap of $125.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -222.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $486.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $465.07.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 530 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.34, for a total value of $251,930.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 58,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,825,928.26. The trade was a 0.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $1,615,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,256,000. This represents a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,315 shares of company stock valued at $2,121,012. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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.