Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Shares Purchased by Catalina Capital Group LLC

Catalina Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 873 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Catalina Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $352,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. HC Wainwright increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $500.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $502.58.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of VRTX opened at $470.37 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $434.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $462.75. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market cap of $121.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -236.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.40. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $377.85 and a 12 month high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.67 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.