Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Sold by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP decreased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 194,000 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 50,000 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.08% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $78,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 12,651 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $5,095,000 after acquiring an additional 1,294 shares during the period. Delaney Dennis R lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 25.3% during the 4th quarter. Delaney Dennis R now owns 6,470 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,605,000 after purchasing an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 17,674 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,117,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 3,041 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Kane Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $894,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.9 %

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $485.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $124.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -220.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.50. 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 quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $485.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $464.91.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $1,615,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,256,000. This trade represents a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 67,695 shares in the company, valued at $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,315 shares of company stock worth $2,121,012 in the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on VRTX shares. 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. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets set a $545.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank increased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $433.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research 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 report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $512.41.

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.