Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Trims Stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,607 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 27 shares during the quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,258,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 43,479 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $17,363,000 after buying an additional 9,149 shares during the period. May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $261,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 4,858 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,956,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,605 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,452,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 59.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 760,517 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $306,260,000 after purchasing an additional 283,684 shares in the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total transaction of $111,034.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 67,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,805,286.70. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Altshuler sold 3,231 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $1,615,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,256,000. This represents a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,315 shares of company stock valued at $2,121,012 over the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $483.49 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 quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $479.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $463.81. The firm has a market cap of $124.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -219.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on VRTX shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 30th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $460.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $435.00 to $467.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $509.17.

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.