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Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

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Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $470.78, moving -0.07% from the previous trading session. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.45%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.23%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.84%.

Heading into today, shares of the drugmaker had gained 1.42% over the past month, lagging the Medical sector's gain of 3.16% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.54% in that time.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in its upcoming release. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $4.11, reflecting a 0.74% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $2.68 billion, indicating a 7.83% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

VRTX's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $0.36 per share and revenue of $10.74 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of -97.64% and +8.87%, respectively.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 1.15% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Currently, Vertex Pharmaceuticals is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, Vertex Pharmaceuticals is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 1327.07. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 22.47.

We can also see that VRTX currently has a PEG ratio of 106.17. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics was holding an average PEG ratio of 2.07 at yesterday's closing price.

The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is part of the Medical sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 83, this industry ranks in the top 33% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow VRTX in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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