Leavell Investment Management Inc. Buys 355 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX

Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 4.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,089 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 355 shares during the quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $3,601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 450.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 55 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. American National Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 515.4% in the second quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 80 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth about $46,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bruce I. Sachs purchased 5,000 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $389.68 per share, with a total value of $1,948,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,535,600. The trade was a 12.50% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Leerink Partners raised Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $458.00 to $456.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. HC Wainwright cut their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $517.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $494.38.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRTX opened at $421.39 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $398.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $434.61. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $362.50 and a one year high of $519.88. The firm has a market cap of $108.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.12 and a beta of 0.43.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 31.86% and a return on equity of 23.91%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted ($12.83) earnings per share. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 15.63 EPS for the current fiscal 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.