By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating restated by stock analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $480.00 price objective on the pharmaceutical company’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price target points to a potential upside of 3.05% from the stock’s previous close.
Several other research firms have also issued reports on VRTX. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $535.00 to $533.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $500.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $575.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $495.48.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 6.3 %
Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $27.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $465.81. 1,308,641 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,461,889. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -233.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a fifty day moving average of $434.34 and a 200-day moving average of $463.31. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals will post -1.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Americana Partners LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 12,145 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,891,000 after buying an additional 897 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 149,838 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $60,340,000 after buying an additional 9,258 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 4,486 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,807,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $458,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.
Further Reading
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