Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 37,196 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 389,874 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 37,196 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $158,636,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 97.1% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 67 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VRTX shares. StockNews.com cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 20th. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $457.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $390.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $397.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $429.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total value of $150,697.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 55,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,755,762.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total transaction of $150,697.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 55,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,755,762.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 2,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.51, for a total value of $1,114,218.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 27,644 shares in the company, valued at $11,596,934.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 12,381 shares of company stock valued at $5,203,249. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:VRTX traded down $1.03 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $401.11. 524,599 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,218,421. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $410.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $399.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.39. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $320.01 and a 1 year high of $448.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.99, a quick ratio of 3.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $2.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 21.91% and a net margin of 36.68%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.33 EPS. Analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 14.95 earnings per share for the current 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.