RWA Wealth Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

RWA Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 330.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,618 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,778 shares during the period. RWA Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,472,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 97.1% in the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 67 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 49.0% during the fourth quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $404.91 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $104.65 billion, a PE ratio of 29.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 3.99, a quick ratio of 3.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $316.43 and a twelve month high of $448.40. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $413.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $398.36.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 14.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 2,656 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.51, for a total value of $1,114,218.56. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 27,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,596,934.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 2,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.51, for a total value of $1,114,218.56. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 27,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,596,934.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 354 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.70, for a total transaction of $150,697.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,804 shares in the company, valued at $23,755,762.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,381 shares of company stock valued at $5,203,249 in the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $445.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $397.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $429.45.

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.