Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Shares Bought by Banco Santander S.A.

Banco Santander S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 9.6% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 70,188 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,160 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals were worth $31,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its position 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 period. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. American National Bank & Trust boosted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 515.4% during the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 80 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Bruce I. Sachs acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $389.68 per share, with a total value of $1,948,400.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 45,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,535,600. This represents a 12.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRTX opened at $421.39 on Monday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $362.50 and a one year high of $519.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $398.96 and its 200-day moving average is $434.28. The company has a market capitalization of $108.04 billion, a PE ratio of 30.12 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRTX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Leerink Partners upgraded Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $458.00 to $456.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Truist Financial set a $490.00 target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. HC Wainwright cut their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $478.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $442.00 to $438.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $494.38.

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.