Grifols (NASDAQ:GRFS) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $7.07 and last traded at $7.0730, with a volume of 555410 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.33.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Grifols from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Grifols from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Grifols from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $10.00.

Grifols Stock Up 0.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 2.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $7.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.42.

Grifols Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.0945 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. Grifols’s payout ratio is presently 73.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grifols

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GRFS. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Grifols by 3,205.1% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,013,723 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $30,017,000 after buying an additional 2,922,540 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Grifols by 383.7% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,800,645 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,894,000 after acquiring an additional 2,221,633 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Grifols in the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,139,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Grifols by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 30,954,223 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $289,422,000 after buying an additional 1,838,727 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Grifols by 132.6% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,434,636 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $22,764,000 after purchasing an additional 1,387,783 shares during the last quarter.

About Grifols

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.