Greenleaf Trust Raises Stock Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,977 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,025,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VRTX. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 65.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC now owns 2,645 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 1,045 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 6.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 432,937 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $150,550,000 after acquiring an additional 26,523 shares during the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,073 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,133,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 427,001 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $148,485,000 after purchasing an additional 5,514 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $816,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total value of $150,697.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,755,762.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 2,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.51, for a total value of $1,114,218.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 27,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,596,934.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total transaction of $150,697.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 55,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,755,762.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,381 shares of company stock valued at $5,203,249 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Guggenheim upped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $397.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $457.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $332.00 to $379.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $429.45.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of VRTX traded up $0.80 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $394.28. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,342,138 shares, compared to its average volume of 864,761. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 3.99 and a quick ratio of 3.78. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $316.43 and a 12-month high of $448.40. The stock has a market cap of $101.91 billion, a PE ratio of 28.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $413.60 and its 200 day moving average is $397.06.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.35. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 21.91% and a net margin of 36.68%. The firm had revenue of $2.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.33 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 14.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.