United Asset Strategies Inc. Raises Stock Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

United Asset Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,951 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Atticus Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 833.3% during the fourth quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 140 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 119,429 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $48,094,000 after purchasing an additional 22,702 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 33.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,605 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after purchasing an additional 894 shares during the period. Finally, PFG Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,817 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $732,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VRTX shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $473.00 to $476.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $555.00 to $460.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $494.84.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $439.62 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $435.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $464.32. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $377.85 and a 1-year high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 2.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -220.91, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.77. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.67 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.9 EPS for the current year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.