Abel Hall LLC Purchases 40 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Abel Hall LLC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 522 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Abel Hall LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $210,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 2,476 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $997,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. now owns 947 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC raised its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $593,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 24,588 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $10,376,000 after purchasing an additional 3,062 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $441.52 on Thursday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $377.85 and a 52 week high of $519.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.47. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $434.75 and its 200-day moving average is $463.64. The firm has a market cap of $113.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -221.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 4.52% and a negative return on equity of 1.91%. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.67 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VRTX shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, January 24th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $426.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $437.00 to $451.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, December 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $494.76.

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.