Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) Position Increased by Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC

Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC increased its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,422 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Vertex Pharmaceuticals comprises approximately 3.0% of Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $5,354,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTX. Aveo Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 77.3% during the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,076 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 26.5% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,978 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $805,000 after buying an additional 414 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $736,000. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,522 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,433,000 after buying an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VRTX. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $505.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $402.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $485.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other 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 value of $323,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,217,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 3,784 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chairman now owns 9,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,987,006. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 34,047 shares of company stock valued at $16,843,806. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $474.16 on Thursday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $341.85 and a 1 year high of $510.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $483.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $451.40. The company has a market cap of $122.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.77 and a beta of 0.40.

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

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.