Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Buys 4,464 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 98,153 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,464 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $38,427,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 73.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 86,252 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $33,780,000 after purchasing an additional 36,643 shares during the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 611 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 47.6% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,387 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $935,000 after buying an additional 770 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $11,591,000. Finally, 1858 Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 43.8% during the third quarter. 1858 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,387,000 after buying an additional 1,079 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on VRTX. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $591.00 to $641.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $577.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $571.00 to $598.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.8%

VRTX opened at $469.34 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $470.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $438.12. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $362.50 and a 1-year high of $519.68. The stock has a market cap of $119.23 billion, a PE ratio of 30.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.31.

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

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 260 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 46,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,743,185.05. The trade was a 0.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Amit Sachdev sold 1,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $486.35, for a total transaction of $897,802.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 55,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,026,469.50. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 91,156 shares of company stock worth $42,845,497 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Profile

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.