Investment Advisory Group LLC Acquires Shares of 809 Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Investment Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 809 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $329,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 97.1% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 67 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX traded down $2.88 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $394.48. 220,313 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,247,511. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.61, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.35. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $415.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $396.46.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 2,656 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 27,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,596,934.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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 transaction, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 2,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.51, for a total transaction of $1,114,218.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 27,644 shares in the company, valued at $11,596,934.44. 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. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on VRTX. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Maxim Group lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $515.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $424.62.

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.