Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Acquired by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,905,705 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 159,693 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,351,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Founders Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 75 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.7 %

VRTX opened at $451.23 on Thursday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $346.29 and a one year high of $519.88. The business’s fifty day moving average is $475.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $472.74. 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 (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.77. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.52% and a negative return on equity of 1.91%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.67 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on VRTX. Citigroup began coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $575.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $473.00 to $476.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $361.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $499.12.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 3,784 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $499.00, for a total transaction of $1,888,216.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 9,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,987,006. This represents a 27.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of the business’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,217,500. This trade represents a 12.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,445 shares of company stock valued at $2,218,394 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.