Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Sells 274 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. cut its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,381 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 274 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Guidance Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 2,101 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. 1858 Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. 1858 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,784 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,121,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 11,740 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,728,000 after acquiring an additional 1,430 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Trust Point Inc. increased its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 1,175 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $469.32 on Friday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $377.85 and a 12-month high of $519.88. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $435.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $462.87. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market cap of $120.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -235.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.41.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $490.00 to $494.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays cut their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $509.00 to $418.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $502.58.

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.