Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. Invests $1.01 Million in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,500 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,007,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 598 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 72.9% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,844 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,614,000 after purchasing an additional 4,151 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 2,636 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,236,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 511,428 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $242,642,000 after purchasing an additional 4,326 shares during the period. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 60.3% in the 2nd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 49,474 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $23,189,000 after buying an additional 18,605 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of VRTX opened at $427.89 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 2.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $439.34 and its 200-day moving average is $465.72. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $377.85 and a fifty-two week high of $519.88.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.77. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The business’s revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.9 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VRTX. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $500.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $566.00 to $520.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $490.38.

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.