Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX): Today's Featured Health Care Laggard

Vertex Pharmaceuticals was a leading decliner within the health care sector, falling $1.29 (-1.5%) to $85.26 on light volume
By TheStreet Wire ,

Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

(

VRTX

) pushed the Health Care sector lower today making it today's featured Health Care laggard. The sector as a whole closed the day down 0.6%. By the end of trading, Vertex Pharmaceuticals fell $1.29 (-1.5%) to $85.26 on light volume. Throughout the day, 1,285,397 shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 1,803,900 shares. The stock ranged in price between $84.50-$87.48 after having opened the day at $86.95 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $86.55. Other companies within the Health Care sector that declined today were:

Mast Therapeutics

(

MSTX

), down 35.9%,

Sarepta Therapeutics

(

SRPT

), down 18.9%,

Neostem

(

NBS

), down 15.6% and

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals

(

OMED

), down 12.2%.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated engages in discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing small molecule drugs for patients with serious diseases. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a market cap of $19.5 billion and is part of the drugs industry. Shares are up 110.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday. Currently there are 12 analysts that rate Vertex Pharmaceuticals a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and 6 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, disappointing return on equity and weak operating cash flow.

On the positive front,

Cormedix

(

CRMD

), up 14.5%,

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics

(

IMUC

), up 13.0%,

Transition Therapeutics

(

TTHI

), up 11.8% and

Illumina

(

ILMN

), up 10.6% , were all gainers within the health care sector with

Eli Lilly and Company

(

LLY

) being today's featured health care sector leader.

For investors not wanting singular stock exposure, ETFs may be of interest. Investors who are bullish on the health care sector could consider

Health Care Select Sector SPDR

(

XLV

) while those bearish on the health care sector could consider

ProShares Ultra Short Health Care

(

RXD

).

STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12-months. Learn more.

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