Banco Santander S.A. Sells 525 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Banco Santander S.A. cut its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 3.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,428 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 525 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $7,700,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brookstone Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.1% during the first quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 2,368 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $990,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 29,897 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $12,497,000 after acquiring an additional 3,999 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 216.3% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 4,830 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,965,000 after acquiring an additional 3,303 shares in the last quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC now owns 25,345 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $10,313,000 after purchasing an additional 2,576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth $2,763,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Reshma Kewalramani sold 15,202 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $497.00, for a total transaction of $7,555,394.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 106,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,767,484. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Edward Morrow Atkinson III sold 7,288 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.00, for a total value of $3,483,664.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,634,616. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Reshma Kewalramani sold 15,202 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $497.00, for a total value of $7,555,394.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 106,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,767,484. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 39,185 shares of company stock worth $19,206,094. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRTX stock traded up $3.62 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $493.35. 706,697 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,203,289. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $481.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $445.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.01 and a beta of 0.39. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $340.83 and a 12 month high of $510.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.52, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The pharmaceutical company reported ($12.83) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($12.54) by ($0.29). The business had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.66 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 2.45% and a negative net margin of 4.74%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.53 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRTX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. 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 research report on Thursday, July 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $371.00 to $376.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $540.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $424.00 to $421.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $485.91.

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.