Realta Investment Advisors Buys Shares of 1,079 Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Realta Investment Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,079 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $523,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VRTX. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $27,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Founders Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 75 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Raymond James restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $541.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $492.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $323,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,217,500. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 2,280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $476.75, for a total value of $1,086,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 23,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,088,728.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $323,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,435 shares in the company, valued at $2,217,500. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,710 shares of company stock valued at $3,298,206. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRTX stock traded down $4.86 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $471.12. 1,352,751 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,007,378. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $474.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $464.46. The company has a quick ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $341.90 and a twelve month high of $510.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -232.08 and a beta of 0.39.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The pharmaceutical company reported ($12.83) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($12.54) by ($0.29). The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.66 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.45% and a negative net margin of 4.74%. The business’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.53 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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.