AlphaMark Advisors LLC Sells 231 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

AlphaMark Advisors LLC lessened its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,958 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 231 shares during the period. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises 0.8% of AlphaMark Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. AlphaMark Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Annapolis Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Founders Capital Management lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.0% during the second quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 75 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Bruce I. Sachs sold 5,295 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $508.00, for a total transaction of $2,689,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,320,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Reshma Kewalramani sold 1,565 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.00, for a total transaction of $715,205.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 121,374 shares in the company, valued at $55,467,918. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bruce I. Sachs sold 5,295 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $508.00, for a total transaction of $2,689,860.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,320,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 55,703 shares of company stock valued at $26,615,855. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $472.00. The stock had a trading volume of 1,306,865 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,219,359. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $480.65 and a 200-day moving average of $441.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.52. The company has a market capitalization of $121.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.63 and a beta of 0.39. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $340.83 and a 12-month high of $510.64.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The pharmaceutical company reported ($12.83) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($12.54) by ($0.29). The company had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.66 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.74% and a negative return on equity of 2.45%. The business’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.53 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VRTX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $465.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $485.91.

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.