Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 3,119 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 91,675 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 3,119 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $42,637,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 399 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 22.6% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,698 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $8,234,000 after buying an additional 3,629 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 179.2% in the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 5,832 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,438,000 after purchasing an additional 3,743 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 269.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,605 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $5,269,000 after buying an additional 9,193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 276.7% during the 1st quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 5,221 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares during the last quarter. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ VRTX opened at $467.01 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $476.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $472.56. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $346.29 and a one year high of $519.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.77. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 4.52% and a negative return on equity of 1.91%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.67 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.82 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $473.00 to $476.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $450.00 to $558.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $550.00 price target (up from $508.00) on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $499.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Chairman Jeffrey M. Leiden sold 3,784 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $499.00, for a total value of $1,888,216.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 9,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,987,006. This trade represents a 27.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Sangeeta N. Bhatia sold 646 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $323,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,217,500. The trade was a 12.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.