Nkcfo LLC Sells 147 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Nkcfo LLC reduced its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,243 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 147 shares during the period. Vertex Pharmaceuticals makes up approximately 2.1% of Nkcfo LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Nkcfo LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $3,864,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Annapolis Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth $27,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $464.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.52. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $341.85 and a 52-week high of $510.64. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $482.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $451.87. The firm has a market cap of $119.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.17 and a beta of 0.40.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The pharmaceutical company reported ($12.83) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($12.54) by ($0.29). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.45% and a negative net margin of 4.74%. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.53 earnings per share. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on VRTX shares. Argus increased their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $465.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, July 26th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $480.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $486.36.

Insider Transactions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,217,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, CMO Carmen Bozic sold 2,280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $471.72, for a total value of $1,075,521.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 30,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,198,300.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,217,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,047 shares of company stock valued at $16,843,806 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.