Banco Santander S.A. Takes Position in Medpace Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MEDP)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. has acquired 3,796 shares of Medpace Holdings, Inc., valued at approximately $1,157,000, as noted in its recent SEC filing.
• Medpace's stock performances have led several analysts to revise their price targets significantly, with Mizuho raising it from $328.00 to $510.00 and Truist Financial moving it from $298.00 to $436.00.
• Insider selling has been notable, with CEO August J. Troendle selling 48,487 shares valued at over $21.9 million, indicating a 4.80% decrease in ownership.

Banco Santander S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Medpace Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MEDP - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,796 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,157,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MEDP. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Medpace by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 17,960 shares of the company's stock worth $6,010,000 after acquiring an additional 909 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Medpace by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 656,130 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,031,000 after purchasing an additional 28,076 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Medpace in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $273,000. Aviva PLC raised its stake in Medpace by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 1,833 shares of the company's stock valued at $609,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC purchased a new position in Medpace during the fourth quarter valued at $5,712,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.98% of the company's stock.

Medpace Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MEDP traded up $3.87 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $436.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 428,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 761,460. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $336.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $324.63. The company has a market cap of $12.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.42. Medpace Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $250.05 and a 12-month high of $501.30.

Medpace (NASDAQ:MEDP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The company reported $3.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.10. Medpace had a net margin of 18.74% and a return on equity of 67.66%. The company had revenue of $603.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.75 earnings per share. Medpace's quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Medpace Holdings, Inc. will post 12.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Medpace

In related news, General Counsel Stephen P. Ewald sold 3,000 shares of Medpace stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 10,343 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,654,350. The trade was a 22.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Jesse J. Geiger sold 41,801 shares of Medpace stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.11, for a total transaction of $18,940,451.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 36,503 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,539,874.33. This trade represents a 53.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 112,788 shares of company stock valued at $51,018,354. 20.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MEDP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays increased their target price on Medpace from $300.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Medpace from $270.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. UBS Group downgraded shares of Medpace from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and upped their price target for the company from $300.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Medpace from $313.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Medpace from $328.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Medpace presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $406.60.

Medpace Company Profile

Medpace Holdings, Inc engages in the provision of outsourced clinical development services to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Its services include medical department, clinical trial management, data-driven feasibility, study-start-up, clinical monitoring, regulatory affairs, patient recruitment and retention, medical writing, biometrics and data sciences, pharmacovigilance, core laboratory, laboratories, clinics, and quality assurance.