Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. Takes $77,000 Position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 164 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 77.2% in the second quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,180 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,413,000 after purchasing an additional 2,257 shares during the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 186,029 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $87,196,000 after acquiring an additional 6,823 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 44,141.7% in the second quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 5,309 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,488,000 after purchasing an additional 5,297 shares during the period. Holderness Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.4% during the second quarter. Holderness Investments Co. now owns 1,266 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $593,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 12.1% during the second quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 29,546 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $13,849,000 after purchasing an additional 3,194 shares during the period. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRTX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $431.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $550.00 price target (up from $508.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, August 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $486.36.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRTX opened at $464.92 on Monday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $341.85 and a 52-week high of $510.64. The company has a quick ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $482.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $452.40. The company has a market cap of $119.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.17 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The pharmaceutical company reported ($12.83) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($12.54) by ($0.29). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.45% and a negative net margin of 4.74%. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.53 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Bruce I. Sachs sold 5,295 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.00, for a total value of $2,689,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 40,000 shares in the company, valued at $20,320,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,217,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bruce I. Sachs sold 5,295 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.00, for a total transaction of $2,689,860.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,320,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,047 shares of company stock valued at $16,843,806 in the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.