Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Advances But Underperforms Market: Key Facts

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) closed at $428 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.03% move from the prior day. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.61%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.3%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 1.28%.Shares of the drugmaker have appreciated by 4.83% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Medical sector's gain of 1.64% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.08%.Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in its upcoming earnings disclosure. In that report, analysts expect Vertex Pharmaceuticals to post earnings of $4 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 4.76%. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $2.77 billion, indicating a 10.18% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Vertex Pharmaceuticals. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the company's business operations and its ability to generate profits.Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. 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.The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 2.39% downward. As of now, Vertex Pharmaceuticals holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a Forward P/E ratio of 23.44 right now. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 21.95, so one might conclude that Vertex Pharmaceuticals is trading at a premium comparatively.Meanwhile, VRTX's PEG ratio is currently 1.92. 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. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.36.The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 72, finds itself in the top 29% echelons of all 250+ industries.The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks