LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI Purchases 370 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,383 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 370 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals accounts for about 1.3% of LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $12,235,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $27,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of VRTX traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $412.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 860,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,363,095. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -207.50 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s 50-day moving average is $450.11 and its 200-day moving average is $468.49. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.77. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VRTX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $426.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $361.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America cut their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $566.00 to $520.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $490.38.

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.