Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Bought by Liontrust Investment Partners LLP

by · The Markets Daily

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX – Free Report) by 91.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,954 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,911 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $12,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 515.4% in the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 80 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRTX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $564.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $498.42.

View Our Latest Stock Report on VRTX

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Charles F. Wagner, Jr. sold 14,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.00, for a total transaction of $6,384,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,202,600. This trade represents a 27.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 63,781 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $449.20, for a total transaction of $28,650,425.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 24,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,792,479.20. This represents a 72.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 151,073 shares of company stock valued at $67,326,816 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $452.04 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $426.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $425.61. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $362.50 and a 12-month high of $519.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.88 and a beta of 0.32.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.58 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 31.35% and a return on equity of 23.51%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.38 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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