Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC Has $8.75 Million Stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC trimmed its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 21,728 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 233 shares during the period. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $8,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% in 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 during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $35,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $500.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $509.00 to $418.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $575.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $480.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $473.00 to $476.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $490.38.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of VRTX opened at $430.33 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $436.77 and a 200-day moving average of $465.13. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $377.85 and a one year high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 2.20. The company has a market cap of $110.82 billion, a PE ratio of -216.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.77. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.67 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.9 EPS for the current fiscal 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.