3 Stocks Pushing The Drugs Industry Higher

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model

All three major indices are trading up today with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) trading up 50 points (0.4%) at 14,380 as of Friday, March 8, 2013, 11:50 AM ET. The NYSE advances/declines ratio sits at 1,811 issues advancing vs. 1,063 declining with 140 unchanged.

The Drugs industry currently sits up 0.6% versus the S&P 500, which is up 0.2%. A company within the industry that increased today was Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX), up 0.8%. On the negative front, top decliners within the industry include Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO), down 1.0%, and AstraZeneca (AZN), down 0.7%.

TheStreet Ratings group would like to highlight 3 stocks pushing the industry higher today:

3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) is one of the companies pushing the Drugs industry higher today. As of noon trading, Vertex Pharmaceuticals is up $1.11 (2.2%) to $51.28 on average volume Thus far, 687,701 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 1.8 million shares. The stock has ranged in price between $50.09-$51.39 after having opened the day at $50.28 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $50.17.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated engages in discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing small molecule drugs for the treatment of serious diseases worldwide. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a market cap of $10.8 billion and is part of the health care sector. Shares are up 19.7% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday. Currently there are 14 analysts that rate Vertex Pharmaceuticals a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and 5 rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Vertex Pharmaceuticals as a sell. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its feeble growth in its earnings per share, deteriorating net income and disappointing return on equity. Get the full Vertex Pharmaceuticals Ratings Report now.

It's Official: Action Alerts PLUS beats the S&P 500 with Dividends Reinvested! Cramer and Link were up 16.72% in 2012. Were you? See what they are trading for 14-days FREE

1 2 3 Next › Last »

For more information on Vertex Pharmaceuticals click any of the following:

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock Price

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Analyst Ratings

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Key Stats & Profile

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Earnings

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Ratio Comparison

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Growth Rates

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Balance Sheet

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Cash Flow

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Income Statement