Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on VRTX. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $533.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Barclays lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $575.00 target price on the stock. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $506.70.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.3 %

VRTX traded down $11.67 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $488.34. The company had a trading volume of 1,389,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,489,855. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $451.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $461.34. The company has a market cap of $125.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -221.97, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $377.85 and a 12-month high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.99 by ($0.45). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals will post 15.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 530 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.34, for a total value of $251,930.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,825,928.26. The trade was a 0.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,084 shares of company stock worth $505,512. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lighthouse Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,492,000. IronOak Wealth LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $623,000. TFR Capital LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,837,000. Cim LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Cim LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,286,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $320,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.