Groupe la Francaise Takes $1.70 Million Position in Grifols, S.A. $GRFS

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise has made a new investment of approximately $1.70 million in Grifols, S.A. by acquiring 238,928 shares during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors have recently increased their stakes in Grifols, with notable increases from Soleus Capital Management and the New York State Common Retirement Fund.
• Grifols recently announced a $0.1404 per share dividend, with a payout ratio of 11.97%, and has seen positive movement in analyst ratings, now averaging a "Moderate Buy."

Groupe la Francaise purchased a new position in Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 238,928 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,699,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Soleus Capital Management L.P. grew its position in Grifols by 46.1% during the fourth quarter. Soleus Capital Management L.P. now owns 6,605,425 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $49,144,000 after buying an additional 2,083,722 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Grifols by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,045,260 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $22,642,000 after acquiring an additional 324,869 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Grifols by 50.5% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,452,728 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $17,439,000 after acquiring an additional 823,456 shares during the last quarter. Oasis Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Grifols by 19.8% during the fourth quarter. Oasis Management Co Ltd. now owns 1,157,607 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $8,613,000 after purchasing an additional 191,137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highland Peak Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Grifols by 24.1% during the first quarter. Highland Peak Capital LLC now owns 975,835 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $6,938,000 after purchasing an additional 189,625 shares in the last quarter.

Grifols Stock Performance

Shares of GRFS stock opened at $10.16 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.68, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.56. Grifols, S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $6.19 and a fifty-two week high of $11.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 2.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $9.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.39.

Grifols Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Grifols from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Grifols to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Grifols in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $10.30.

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.

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