Chase Investment Counsel Corp Sells 95 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Chase Investment Counsel Corp trimmed its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,968 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 95 shares during the period. Chase Investment Counsel Corp’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 13,885 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,591,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 30,343 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $12,219,000 after acquiring an additional 3,764 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 29,908 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $12,044,000 after acquiring an additional 2,886 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,106,000. Finally, Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 238.0% in the fourth quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 31,443 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $12,662,000 after acquiring an additional 22,141 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $490.00 to $494.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Eleven 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $506.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the firm’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 owns 67,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 1,084 shares of company stock worth $505,512 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $479.79 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $440.39 and its 200-day moving average is $461.10. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $377.85 and a 1-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 firm has a market cap of $123.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -218.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41.

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

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.