Thematics Asset Management Acquires 2,031 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Thematics Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 19.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,629 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 2,031 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $4,946,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 110.0% in the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 118.8% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 70 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 50.9% in the third quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 345.0% in the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 89 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Mark E. Bunnage sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $301,537.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,284 shares in the company, valued at $3,542,573.40. The trade was a 7.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 260 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $126,451.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,743,185.05. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 91,156 shares of company stock worth $42,845,497. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.8%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $469.34 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $362.50 and a 52 week high of $519.68. The company has a market capitalization of $119.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $470.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $437.76.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The pharmaceutical company reported $5.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.05 by ($0.02). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 24.30% and a net margin of 32.94%.The business had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.98 EPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $580.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $570.00 to $596.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $553.36.

More Vertex Pharmaceuticals News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vertex Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several major analysts raised coverage and targets for VRTX, boosting bullish sentiment and shorter-term buying interest. Oppenheimer Raises Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Price Target to $600.00
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades translated into intraday strength earlier in the week (shares traded notably higher on upgrade headlines), signaling renewed investor appetite. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Trading 9.9% Higher on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: New research coverage from Jefferies adds another channel for institutional visibility and could support longer-term demand. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Research Coverage Started at Jefferies Financial Group
• Positive Sentiment: Retail and media interest has picked up — headlines highlighting a recent ~8% jump are drawing attention from momentum traders. This helps explain recent volume spikes and short-term volatility. This Stock Just Jumped By 8%: Is It Too Late to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: “Trending stock” write-ups from Zacks/Yahoo summarize catalysts and risks for new readers; useful for context but unlikely to move price by themselves. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses that list reasons to watch VRTX (growth from cystic fibrosis and extending franchises) and one caution help frame investor decisions but don’t introduce a new catalyst. 2 Reasons to Watch VRTX and 1 to Stay Cautious
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance pieces and market-focus coverage provide background on investor returns and index attention; helpful for positioning but not immediate drivers. If You Invested $1000 In Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock 20 Years Ago…
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upgrades, the stock has retraced from the immediate highs — recent intraday declines and a prior small earnings EPS miss (Feb quarter EPS slightly below consensus) leave some investors taking profits. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.

Vertex’s marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.