Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Has $18.39 Million Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,669 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,036 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $18,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $8,109,000. Telos Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,627 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,098,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605 shares in the last quarter. McHugh Group LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $201,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 8,475 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,413,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 6,092 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,435,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of VRTX opened at $481.16 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $435.51 and its 200 day moving average is $462.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $377.85 and a 12-month high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $460.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $437.00 to $451.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $502.58.

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.