First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services Purchases 2,998 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,879 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,998 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises 1.3% of First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services’ holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services’ holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $5,525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 79,117 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $37,084,000 after buying an additional 3,998 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 640.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,443 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $676,000 after buying an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at $74,213,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $21,008,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 386,648 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $161,623,000 after acquiring an additional 28,747 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VRTX. StockNews.com lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $371.00 to $376.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $505.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $472.00 to $509.00 in a report on Monday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $492.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,217,500. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $323,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,217,500. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 3,784 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $499.00, for a total transaction of $1,888,216.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 9,994 shares in the company, valued at $4,987,006. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 6,710 shares of company stock valued at $3,298,206. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of VRTX stock traded up $1.21 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $472.33. The company had a trading volume of 160,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,162,048. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $341.90 and a 12-month high of $510.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.52. The company has a market capitalization of $121.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -232.08 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $474.53 and a 200-day moving average of $465.46.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The pharmaceutical company reported ($12.83) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($12.54) by ($0.29). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.74% and a negative return on equity of 2.45%. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.66 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.53 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -2.04 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.