Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX)’s stock price has decreased by -1.17 compared to its previous closing price of 408.81. However, the company has seen a -3.19% decrease in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. InvestorPlace reported 2024-04-03 that The healthcare sector is a constant source of innovation and growth. Yet, even amidst the spotlight on industry giants, a realm of underappreciated gems still exists.
Is It Worth Investing in Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX) Right Now?
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX) has a price-to-earnings ratio that is above its average at 29.08x. The stock has a 36-month beta value of 0.37. Opinions on the stock are mixed, with 12 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 10 as “overweight,” 5 as “hold,” and 0 as “sell.”
The public float for VRTX is 257.54M, and at present, short sellers hold a 1.60% of that float. On April 05, 2024, the average trading volume of VRTX was 1.30M shares.
VRTX’s Market Performance
The stock of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VRTX) has seen a -3.19% decrease in the past week, with a -2.75% drop in the past month, and a -1.63% fall in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.09%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.62% for VRTX. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -2.31% for VRTX’s stock, with a 6.59% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of VRTX
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for VRTX stocks, with Wolfe Research repeating the rating for VRTX by listing it as a “Outperform.” The predicted price for VRTX in the upcoming period, according to Wolfe Research is $515 based on the research report published on February 15, 2024 of the current year 2024.
Evercore ISI, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see VRTX reach a price target of $438, previously predicting the price at $436. The rating they have provided for VRTX stocks is “In-line” according to the report published on February 06th, 2024.
VRTX Trading at -4.10% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought VRTX to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -9.90% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 1.62%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.09%, as shares sank -1.90% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -8.12% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, VRTX fell by -3.19%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +16.13% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $413.17. In addition, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. saw -0.71% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at VRTX starting from Ambrose Kristen, who sale 240 shares at the price of $419.00 back on Apr 02 ’24. After this action, Ambrose Kristen now owns 7,500 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., valued at $100,560 using the latest closing price.
Arbuckle Stuart A, the EVP, COO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., sale 5,034 shares at $425.70 during a trade that took place back on Feb 26 ’24, which means that Arbuckle Stuart A is holding 49,691 shares at $2,142,974 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for VRTX
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.39 for the present operating margin
- 0.87 for the gross margin
The net margin for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. stands at 0.37. The total capital return value is set at 0.2. Equity return is now at value 22.99, with 17.56 for asset returns.
Based on Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VRTX), the company’s capital structure generated 0.04 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 4.38. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.05. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 86.22.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 3.93 billion with net debt to EBITDA at -2.0. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 9.61. The receivables turnover for the company is 6.31for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.43. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 3.99.
Conclusion
To sum up, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VRTX) has seen a bad performance recently. Analysts have differing views on the stock, with some seeing it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
