Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Sold by Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC

Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC lessened its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 51,251 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 2,843 shares during the period. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $20,639,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VRTX. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 99 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 108.2% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 102 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $433.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $535.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $514.91.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $1,615,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,256,000. The trade was a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total transaction of $111,034.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,695 shares in the company, valued at $30,805,286.70. This represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $501.15 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $492.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $467.15. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $128.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -227.80, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.50.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its 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 return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. Analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.