27,829 Shares in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $VRTX Acquired by Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab

Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 27,829 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,823,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in VRTX. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth $11,975,849,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $1,440,149,000. AIGH Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $26,725,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth about $830,842,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth about $784,391,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.96% of the company’s stock.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $528.19 on Wednesday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $374.17 and a twelve month high of $546.17. The stock has a market cap of $134.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $486.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $464.31.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The pharmaceutical company reported $4.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.74 by ($0.01). Vertex Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 23.09% and a net margin of 35.00%.The company had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.52 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on VRTX. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $543.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $590.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $436.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $563.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Duncan Mckechnie sold 1,541 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $519.00, for a total transaction of $799,779.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,709,519. The trade was a 12.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Ourania Tatsis sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $524.99, for a total transaction of $787,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,793,071.79. This trade represents a 3.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,464 shares of company stock valued at $4,959,397. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc is a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies for serious diseases. Founded in 1989, Vertex built its reputation on research-driven drug development and is best known for its work in cystic fibrosis (CF), where its portfolio of small-molecule CFTR modulators transformed standards of care for many people with the disease. The company operates research and development, manufacturing and commercial organizations and serves patients and healthcare systems in multiple international markets.

Vertex’s marketed products center on CFTR modulators that target the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis rather than just treating symptoms.