Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,455,645 shares, a decrease of 45.5% from the July 15th total of 6,340,082 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 917,661 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days. Approximately 0.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Grifols Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ GRFS traded down $0.01 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $7.76. The company had a trading volume of 274,040 shares, compared to its average volume of 662,090. The company’s fifty day moving average is $7.55 and its 200-day moving average is $8.08. Grifols has a one year low of $6.96 and a one year high of $10.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.66.

Grifols Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd were given a dividend of $0.0945 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. Grifols’s payout ratio is currently 47.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GRFS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Grifols from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Grifols from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Grifols from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $10.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grifols

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flat Footed LLC grew its position in shares of Grifols by 26.5% in the 1st quarter. Flat Footed LLC now owns 1,372,394 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $11,007,000 after buying an additional 287,867 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Grifols during the fourth quarter worth about $18,139,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Grifols by 42.0% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 352,798 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,829,000 after purchasing an additional 104,418 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Grifols by 15.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 785,703 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $6,301,000 after purchasing an additional 104,850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Grifols by 13.8% during the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 592,173 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,193,000 after purchasing an additional 72,037 shares during the last quarter.

Grifols Company Profile

Grifols, Inc (NASDAQ: GRFS) is a global healthcare company specializing in the development, manufacture and marketing of plasma-derived medicines, diagnostic systems and hospital supplies. With a core focus on immunotherapy and transfusion medicine, the company harnesses human plasma proteins to create therapies that treat a wide range of bleeding disorders, immunodeficiencies and neurological conditions. Grifols also supplies reagents and diagnostic instruments for transfusion centers and clinical laboratories, alongside intravenous solutions and medical devices for hospital use.

The company operates three main business units.