Vontobel Holding Ltd. Purchases 75,653 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 66.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 188,949 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 75,653 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $76,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth $33,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRTX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays raised their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $500.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $433.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $533.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $505.96.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total transaction of $142,547.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,438,776.43. This represents a 0.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $462.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.47. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $377.85 and a 12-month high of $519.88. The business has a 50 day moving average of $435.70 and a 200-day moving average of $461.79.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.99 by ($0.45). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.52% and a negative return on equity of 1.91%. On average, equities analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.94 earnings per share for the current 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.