Bender Robert & Associates Raises Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Bender Robert & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,550 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals accounts for 2.9% of Bender Robert & Associates’ holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Bender Robert & Associates’ holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $11,617,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 65.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC now owns 2,645 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in 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 valued at $150,550,000 after buying an additional 26,523 shares in the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,073 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $6,133,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 427,001 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $148,485,000 after acquiring an additional 5,514 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $816,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.1 %

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $0.38 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $393.48. 943,001 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,245,049. The company has a current ratio of 3.99, a quick ratio of 3.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $414.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $396.76. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $316.43 and a fifty-two week high of $448.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.30, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.35.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.35. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 36.68% and a return on equity of 21.91%. The business had revenue of $2.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.08 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total transaction of $150,697.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,755,762.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total value of $150,697.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,804 shares in the company, valued at $23,755,762.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Stuart A. Arbuckle sold 4,295 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total value of $1,804,930.80. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 75,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,819,732.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,381 shares of company stock worth $5,203,249 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $457.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $332.00 to $379.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $390.00 to $438.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $456.00 to $508.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $429.45.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company 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.