Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Stock Holdings Reduced by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,066 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 174 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,965 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,624,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $555,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 5,799 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,335,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,756 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 909 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HealthInvest Partners AB lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. HealthInvest Partners AB now owns 22,257 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $8,963,000 after purchasing an additional 5,264 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $481.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $436.32 and a 200-day moving average of $460.68. The stock has a market cap of $123.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -218.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. 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.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted 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 return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on VRTX. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the company from $408.00 to $424.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $433.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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 report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Eleven investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $506.70.

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.