Armistice Capital LLC Sells 758,000 Shares of Grifols, S.A. $GRFS

Key Points

• Armistice Capital LLC reduced its stake in Grifols, S.A. by 7.6%, now owning 9,278,000 shares worth approximately $65.97 million, making it the firm's 11th largest holding.
• Grifols announced a special dividend of $0.1404 per share, with a dividend payout ratio of 11.97% for shareholders of record.
• Recent analyst ratings for Grifols include a upgrade to "strong-buy" by Wall Street Zen, while JPMorgan Chase set a new price target of $10.30.

Armistice Capital LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS - Free Report) by 7.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,278,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 758,000 shares during the period. Grifols comprises about 1.0% of Armistice Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Armistice Capital LLC owned 1.35% of Grifols worth $65,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Grifols by 134.5% during the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 69,564 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 39,902 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new stake in shares of Grifols during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,699,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Grifols by 3,948.1% during the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 30,118 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 29,374 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Grifols by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 46,078 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $328,000 after acquiring an additional 2,026 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highland Peak Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Grifols by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Highland Peak Capital LLC now owns 975,835 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $6,938,000 after acquiring an additional 189,625 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GRFS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Grifols in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Grifols from $7.60 to $10.30 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Grifols from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Grifols to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $10.30.

Grifols Price Performance

NASDAQ:GRFS traded up $0.31 on Thursday, reaching $9.90. The stock had a trading volume of 675,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 959,406. The company has a market capitalization of $6.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.64. Grifols, S.A. has a 1-year low of $6.19 and a 1-year high of $11.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $9.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.52.

Grifols Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were paid a $0.1404 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 12th. Grifols's payout ratio is currently 11.97%.

About Grifols

Grifols, SA operates as a plasma therapeutic company in Spain, the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company provides immunoglobulin to treat immunodeficiencies; albumin used to restore circulatory volume and protein loss in pathophysiological conditions, such as liver cirrhosis, cardiocirculatory failure, trauma and severe burns; alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor, a plasma protein, used to treat a genetic disease known as alpha-1; factorVIII/von Willerbrand factor and factor IX, clotting factors for the treatment of hemophilia A and von Willebrand's disease, as well as hemophilia B; antithrombin III to treat hereditary antithrombin deficiency; Fostamatinib, a spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor; combination of fibrinogen and enzyme thrombin that acts as a biological sealant to control surgical bleeding; and plasma exchange with albumin used to treat Alzheimer's disease.