Key Points
- EVP Joy Liu sold 978 shares of Vertex (NASDAQ:VRTX) on April 1 at an average price of $449.17 for about $439,288, leaving her with 21,833 shares (a 4.29% reduction) valued near $9.81 million.
- The transaction was executed under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 trading plan and was disclosed in an SEC Form 4 filing.
- Vertex reported Q4 EPS of $5.03 (missing estimates by $0.02) and revenue of $3.19B (up 9.5% YoY); analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $554.30 and the company has a market cap around $111.45 billion.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) EVP Joy Liu sold 978 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $449.17, for a total value of $439,288.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,833 shares in the company, valued at $9,806,728.61. This trade represents a 4.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance
NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $438.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $111.45 billion, a PE ratio of 28.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $362.50 and a 52-week high of $510.77. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $467.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $443.61.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.05 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 32.94% and a return on equity of 24.30%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals's revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.98 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,440,149,000. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 77.9% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,689,059 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,836,550,000 after buying an additional 2,053,156 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 49.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,356,766 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,521,851,000 after acquiring an additional 1,109,200 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 17,316,344 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,850,544,000 after acquiring an additional 763,063 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 214.6% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 763,703 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $299,097,000 after acquiring an additional 520,949 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $575.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $546.00 to $541.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Truist Financial upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $606.00 to $607.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $554.30.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Vertex Pharmaceuticals
About Vertex Pharmaceuticals
(
Get Free Report)
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.
Vertex's marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.
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