Grifols, S.A. $GRFS Shares Sold by Harris Associates L P

Key Points

• Harris Associates L P reduced its stake in Grifols, S.A. by 7.7%, now owning approximately 3,439,000 shares valued at $24,451,000 after selling 284,900 shares in the first quarter.
• Other investors such as Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management and Cerity Partners increased their holdings in Grifols, with Cerity Partners raising theirs by 22.8%.
• Grifols declared a special dividend of $0.1404 per share, paid to shareholders on August 20th, with a current payout ratio of 11.97%.

Harris Associates L P lessened its stake in shares of Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS - Free Report) by 7.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,439,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 284,900 shares during the period. Harris Associates L P owned about 0.50% of Grifols worth $24,451,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GRFS. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Grifols during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $91,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Grifols during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Grifols by 354.1% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,124 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 6,335 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Grifols by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 123,878 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $922,000 after purchasing an additional 6,417 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Credit Industriel ET Commercial bought a new position in shares of Grifols during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,537,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GRFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Grifols from $7.60 to $10.30 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Grifols in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Zacks Research raised Grifols to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Grifols from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Grifols currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $10.30.

Grifols Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ GRFS traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $10.13. 422,560 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 956,665. 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 company has a market cap of $6.96 billion, a PE ratio of 8.66, a PEG ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $9.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.54. Grifols, S.A. has a 12 month low of $6.19 and a 12 month high of $11.14.

Grifols Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.1404 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 12th. Grifols's payout ratio is 11.97%.

Grifols Company Profile

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.