Knuff & Co LLC Sells 150 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

by · The Markets Daily

Knuff & Co LLC reduced its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX – Free Report) by 1.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,193 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 150 shares during the quarter. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises approximately 2.0% of Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $6,601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 17.2% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 25,567,184 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $10,687,339,000 after acquiring an additional 3,761,414 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 61.0% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,743,882 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,401,000,000 after purchasing an additional 2,176,218 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,584,315 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,080,296,000 after purchasing an additional 244,336 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,422,677 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,135,556,000 after purchasing an additional 29,104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 672,098 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $312,579,000 after purchasing an additional 6,716 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $467.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a current ratio of 2.47. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $476.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $472.56. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $346.29 and a 52 week high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.77. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VRTX. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $437.00 to $451.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $473.00 to $476.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $499.12.

Get Our Latest Report on Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $323,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,217,500. This represents a 12.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 3,784 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $499.00, for a total value of $1,888,216.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 9,994 shares in the company, valued at $4,987,006. This trade represents a 27.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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