Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) Price Target Raised to $494.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) had its target price lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $490.00 to $494.00 in a research note published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the pharmaceutical company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on VRTX. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $575.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $500.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $550.00 to $540.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from $562.00 to $586.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $505.73.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ VRTX opened at $468.09 on Monday. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $391.01 and a 1 year high of $519.88. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $473.89 and its 200-day moving average is $476.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.55 billion, a PE ratio of -235.22 and a beta of 0.36.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VRTX. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $27,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in Vertex Pharmaceuticals by 70.6% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 58 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. 90.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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.