Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE:EW) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest in Edwards Lifesciences Corporation increased by 27.1% in August, reaching a total of 10,350,000 shares, which represents 1.8% of the company's total shares.
• Insiders sold substantial amounts of stock recently, with Larry L. Wood selling 8,950 shares and Daniel J. Lippis selling 4,114 shares, resulting in decreases of 4.15% and 15.75% in their respective positions.
• Analysts have issued an average rating of "Moderate Buy" for Edwards Lifesciences, with a consensus price target set at $86.26.

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE:EW - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 10,350,000 shares, a growth of 27.1% from the August 15th total of 8,140,000 shares. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 4,080,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days. Based on an average trading volume of 4,080,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Edwards Lifesciences Stock Performance

Shares of EW stock traded down $0.16 on Friday, hitting $74.39. 8,177,895 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,799,900. The firm's 50 day moving average is $78.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.53. Edwards Lifesciences has a one year low of $64.00 and a one year high of $83.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.67 billion, a PE ratio of 10.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 3.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical research company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.05. Edwards Lifesciences had a return on equity of 15.01% and a net margin of 72.96%.The company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.70 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Edwards Lifesciences has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.540-0.60 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.400-2.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Edwards Lifesciences will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on EW shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a research report on Friday, July 25th. William Blair raised Edwards Lifesciences to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Edwards Lifesciences from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Daiwa America raised Edwards Lifesciences from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, BTIG Research raised Edwards Lifesciences from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $87.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Edwards Lifesciences

In other news, insider Larry L. Wood sold 8,950 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.06, for a total transaction of $698,637.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 206,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,150,614. This trade represents a 4.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Daniel J. Lippis sold 4,114 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total value of $326,898.44. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 22,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,748,278.92. This trade represents a 15.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.29% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Edwards Lifesciences

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Edwards Lifesciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $266,000. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 10,231 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 1,463 shares during the period. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Edwards Lifesciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $204,000. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 128.2% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,935 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Edwards Lifesciences by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 46,970 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,477,000 after acquiring an additional 7,438 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.46% of the company's stock.

About Edwards Lifesciences

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation provides products and technologies for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring in the United States, Europe, Japan, and internationally. It offers transcatheter heart valve replacement products for the minimally invasive replacement of aortic heart valves under the Edwards SAPIEN family of valves system; and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement products to treat mitral and tricuspid valve diseases under the PASCAL PRECISION and Cardioband names.