Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Acquired by Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd

Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 4,481.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,520 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,465 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,122,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 515.4% during the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 80 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of VRTX opened at $435.52 on Wednesday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $362.50 and a 52-week high of $519.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $409.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $425.81. The company has a market capitalization of $110.50 billion, a PE ratio of 31.13 and a beta of 0.36.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.58 by $0.22. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 31.86% and a return on equity of 23.91%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on VRTX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $517.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $485.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $455.00 to $445.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $558.00 to $546.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $491.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 53,604 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.72, for a total value of $23,624,354.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 24,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,588,738.72. This trade represents a 69.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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.