Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 5,268 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Victory Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 305,146 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 5,268 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $122,882,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $491.64 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -223.47, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $377.85 and a 1-year high of $519.88. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $445.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $461.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 2.35.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VRTX shares. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $408.00 to $424.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $506.70.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.06, for a total transaction of $111,034.64. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,084 shares of company stock worth $505,512. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.