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Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Surpasses Market Returns: Some Facts Worth Knowing

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Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX - Free Report) closed at $465.08 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.48% move from the prior day. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.42%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.04%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.38%.

The drugmaker's stock has dropped by 6.66% in the past month, falling short of the Medical sector's loss of 2.49% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.06%.

The upcoming earnings release of Vertex Pharmaceuticals will be of great interest to investors. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $4.11, marking a 0.74% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $2.68 billion, indicating a 7.83% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $0.05 per share and revenue of $10.74 billion, which would represent changes of -99.67% and +8.87%, respectively, from the prior year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Vertex Pharmaceuticals should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed an unchanged state. As of now, Vertex Pharmaceuticals holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, Vertex Pharmaceuticals is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 9983.69. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 22.83 for its industry.

Investors should also note that VRTX has a PEG ratio of 798.69 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. Medical - Biomedical and Genetics stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2.13 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 89, putting it in the top 36% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.


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