Gryphon Financial Partners LLC Sells 815 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 43.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,054 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 815 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 558 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 6.5% during the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 475 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.5% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 151,428 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $71,179,000 after acquiring an additional 6,588 shares during the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $326,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 362 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.7 %

VRTX opened at $483.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -219.69, a P/E/G 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 Incorporated has a twelve month low of $377.85 and a twelve month high of $519.88. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $441.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $461.06.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $407.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $506.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 530 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.34, for a total transaction of $251,930.20. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 1,084 shares of company stock worth $505,512 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.