Howland Capital Management LLC Sells 137 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Howland Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 14.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 836 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 137 shares during the period. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,293 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $933,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 636 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,932 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,193,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,001 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 800 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $465.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $480.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $402.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $452.57.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Bruce I. Sachs sold 7,073 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $448.00, for a total transaction of $3,168,704.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,920,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Edward Morrow Atkinson III sold 7,288 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.00, for a total transaction of $3,483,664.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,634,616. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bruce I. Sachs sold 7,073 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $448.00, for a total transaction of $3,168,704.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,920,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,366 shares of company stock valued at $13,058,787. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.5 %

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $2.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $494.71. The stock had a trading volume of 11,817 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,209,546. The stock has a market cap of $127.66 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.39. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $340.20 and a 52 week high of $496.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 3.50 and a quick ratio of 3.29. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $459.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $431.15.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.66 by $1.10. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.58 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 39.46% and a return on equity of 23.08%. The company’s revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. Analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.