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Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know

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Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX - Free Report) closed at $287.32 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.82% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.41% loss on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.11%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 6.67%.

Coming into today, shares of the drugmaker had lost 8.12% in the past month. In that same time, the Medical sector gained 0.95%, while the S&P 500 lost 4.4%.

Investors will be hoping for strength from Vertex Pharmaceuticals as it approaches its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect Vertex Pharmaceuticals to post earnings of $3.57 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 5.93%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $2.29 billion, up 10.6% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $14.65 per share and revenue of $8.91 billion, which would represent changes of +12.52% and +17.63%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Vertex Pharmaceuticals. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.31% higher within the past month. Vertex Pharmaceuticals currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at its valuation, Vertex Pharmaceuticals is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 19.77. This valuation marks a no noticeable deviation compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 19.77.

Meanwhile, VRTX's PEG ratio is currently 2.12. 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 1.29 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 68, which puts it in the top 27% of all 250+ industries.

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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