Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Holdings Raised by National Pension Service

National Pension Service grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 527,474 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,427 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.20% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $212,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $480.35 on Wednesday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $377.85 and a one year high of $519.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $436.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $460.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -218.34, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial upped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted 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. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $550.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Eleven research 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $506.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total transaction of $142,547.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 64,021 shares in the company, valued at $29,438,776.43. This represents a 0.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.