Hall Laurie J Trustee Boosts Stock Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Hall Laurie J Trustee increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,143 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 383 shares during the quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 473 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $190,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $768,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $270,000. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,767 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,530,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 502 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VRTX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America cut their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $490.00 to $494.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $500.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $473.00 to $476.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy 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 $490.38.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $422.00 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $440.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $466.09. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $377.85 and a 1 year high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.47.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.77. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company 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.