Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $494.84.

VRTX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $490.00 to $494.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $509.00 to $418.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of VRTX opened at $439.62 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $435.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $464.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.47. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $377.85 and a 1 year high of $519.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.22 billion, a PE ratio of -220.91, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals will post -1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.