Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 6,831 Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) by 4.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 154,894 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,831 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.06% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals worth $72,038,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Edgewood Management LLC grew its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 7,876.3% during the 3rd quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 1,546,370 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $719,186,000 after acquiring an additional 1,526,983 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 18.1% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,550,386 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,581,373,000 after purchasing an additional 851,054 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 17.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,798,870 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,231,858,000 after purchasing an additional 704,421 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 74,015.5% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 324,626 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $150,977,000 after buying an additional 324,188 shares during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $105,282,000. Institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.5 %

Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $462.10 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $472.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $475.68. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $348.46 and a twelve month high of $519.88. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.61 by $0.77. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 4.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post -1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on VRTX shares. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $541.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $480.00 to $486.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $575.00 price objective on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $361.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $437.00 to $451.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $504.38.

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.