Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS) Short Interest Up 117.5% in September

Key Points

• Grifols, S.A. experienced a substantial increase in short interest, rising by 117.5% in September, now totaling 5,350,000 shares, which represents 2.1% of the company's shares sold short.
• The stock has received mixed ratings from analysts, with one upgrade to a "strong-buy" and an average target price of $10.30.
• Grifols recently paid a special dividend of $0.1404 per share, demonstrating an 11.97% payout ratio, indicating ongoing shareholder returns amidst market fluctuations.

Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 5,350,000 shares, a growth of 117.5% from the August 31st total of 2,460,000 shares. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 893,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.0 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 893,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.0 days. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on GRFS shares. Zacks Research upgraded Grifols to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating on shares of Grifols in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Grifols from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Grifols in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Grifols from $7.60 to $10.30 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $10.30.

Grifols Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GRFS traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $9.95. The stock had a trading volume of 672,131 shares, compared to its average volume of 541,240. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $10.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.82. The stock has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.50, a PEG ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.69. Grifols has a 1-year low of $6.19 and a 1-year high of $11.14.

Grifols Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders 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 payout ratio is 11.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grifols

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Grifols by 2.4% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 47,192 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Grifols by 4.9% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 62,991 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $569,000 after buying an additional 2,928 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Grifols by 14.9% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 26,230 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 3,399 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Grifols during the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in Grifols by 22.8% during the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 22,254 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $158,000 after buying an additional 4,129 shares during the last quarter.

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.

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