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

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $505.57.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. 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 report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of VRTX stock opened at $471.76 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market cap of $121.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -214.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $435.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $460.52. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $377.85 and a 12-month high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.99 by ($0.45). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. Equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals will post 15.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total transaction of $111,034.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 67,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. The trade was a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 16.2% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 560 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,533 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $713,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 576 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 849 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.