Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $501.83.

VRTX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $575.00 price target on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 38.9% in the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 782 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $21,008,000. Peloton Wealth Strategists bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $270,000. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $837,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $438.40 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market cap of $112.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -220.30, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.40. The business’s fifty day moving average is $434.56 and its 200 day moving average is $463.49. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $377.85 and a twelve month high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.77. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.52% and a negative return on equity of 1.91%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals will post -1.9 EPS 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.