Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $125.12 Million Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 319,467 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $125,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% in the third quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 515.4% during the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 80 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of VRTX opened at $442.08 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $447.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $426.90. The company has a market cap of $112.16 billion, a PE ratio of 31.18 and a beta of 0.31. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $519.68.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.58 by $0.22. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 31.35% and a return on equity of 23.51%. The business had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.38 earnings per share. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRTX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $495.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $517.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $503.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 63,781 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $449.20, for a total value of $28,650,425.20. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 24,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,792,479.20. The trade was a 72.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Charles F. Wagner, Jr. sold 9,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $461.00, for a total value of $4,394,252.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 37,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,391,225. The trade was a 20.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 165,105 shares of company stock valued at $73,858,523 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.

Vertex’s marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.