BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. lessened its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 15.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,983 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 374 shares during the quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $799,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Vertex Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.83, for a total value of $142,547.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 64,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,438,776.43. This represents a 0.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 1,084 shares of company stock worth $505,512 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VRTX. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $490.00 to $494.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $545.00 to $522.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $506.70.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

VRTX stock opened at $488.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $125.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -221.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.41. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $377.85 and a 52-week high of $519.88. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $448.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $461.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.69.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The pharmaceutical company reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.99 by ($0.45). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.02% and a negative net margin of 4.86%. Research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals 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.