Slow Capital Inc. Boosts Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Slow Capital Inc. raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 12,997 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Vertex Pharmaceuticals accounts for 0.9% of Slow Capital Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Slow Capital Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $5,288,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sfmg LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 7,721 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,142,000 after purchasing an additional 982 shares during the last quarter. HealthInvest Partners AB purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $3,715,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,722 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 445,187 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $181,142,000 after purchasing an additional 18,186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lipe & Dalton boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 5,135 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX traded down $1.14 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $393.03. 279,888 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,240,792. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $415.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $396.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.38, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 3.78 and a current ratio of 3.99. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $316.43 and a twelve month high of $448.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $2.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 36.68% and a return on equity of 21.91%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 14.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 3,222 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total transaction of $1,354,013.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,250,727.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 3,222 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total transaction of $1,354,013.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 74,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,250,727.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Stuart A. Arbuckle sold 4,295 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $420.24, for a total transaction of $1,804,930.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 75,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,819,732.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 12,381 shares of company stock valued at $5,203,249. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $390.00 to $438.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $446.00 to $472.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Maxim Group lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $457.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $332.00 to $379.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $424.62.

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.