Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Has $38.43 Million Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 98,153 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 4,464 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $38,427,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.9% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 345.0% in the 3rd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 89 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $469.34 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $470.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $438.12. The company has a market cap of $119.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.31. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $362.50 and a twelve month high of $519.68.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. The business’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.98 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 260 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $126,451.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,743,185.05. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 4,910 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.65, for a total transaction of $2,394,361.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,562,646.35. This represents a 21.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 91,156 shares of company stock worth $42,845,497 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VRTX shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $580.00 price target for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $577.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Leerink Partners raised their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $456.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $546.00 to $541.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $553.36.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several major analysts raised coverage and targets for VRTX, boosting bullish sentiment and shorter-term buying interest. Oppenheimer Raises Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Price Target to $600.00
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades translated into intraday strength earlier in the week (shares traded notably higher on upgrade headlines), signaling renewed investor appetite. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Trading 9.9% Higher on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: New research coverage from Jefferies adds another channel for institutional visibility and could support longer-term demand. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Research Coverage Started at Jefferies Financial Group
• Positive Sentiment: Retail and media interest has picked up — headlines highlighting a recent ~8% jump are drawing attention from momentum traders. This helps explain recent volume spikes and short-term volatility. This Stock Just Jumped By 8%: Is It Too Late to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: “Trending stock” write-ups from Zacks/Yahoo summarize catalysts and risks for new readers; useful for context but unlikely to move price by themselves. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses that list reasons to watch VRTX (growth from cystic fibrosis and extending franchises) and one caution help frame investor decisions but don’t introduce a new catalyst. 2 Reasons to Watch VRTX and 1 to Stay Cautious
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance pieces and market-focus coverage provide background on investor returns and index attention; helpful for positioning but not immediate drivers. If You Invested $1000 In Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock 20 Years Ago…
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upgrades, the stock has retraced from the immediate highs — recent intraday declines and a prior small earnings EPS miss (Feb quarter EPS slightly below consensus) leave some investors taking profits. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.