Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Grifols, S.A. (NASDAQ:GRFS) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,651,031 shares, an increase of 26.9% from the November 30th total of 5,240,582 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 650,839 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 10.2 days. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 650,839 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 10.2 days.

Grifols Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GRFS opened at $9.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a PE ratio of 48.42, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $8.92 and its 200 day moving average is $9.47. Grifols 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 0.93 and a current ratio of 2.48.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on GRFS. Zacks Research downgraded Grifols from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Grifols from $10.30 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Grifols from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Grifols in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grifols

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GRFS. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of Grifols by 3,205.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,013,723 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $30,017,000 after purchasing an additional 2,922,540 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its stake in Grifols by 8.9% in the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 28,035,461 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $253,441,000 after purchasing an additional 2,294,113 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Grifols by 383.7% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,800,645 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $27,894,000 after buying an additional 2,221,633 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Grifols during the second quarter valued at approximately $17,538,000. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Grifols by 5.9% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,926,140 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $228,344,000 after buying an additional 1,273,391 shares during the last quarter.

About Grifols

Grifols, Inc (NASDAQ: GRFS) is a global healthcare company specializing in the development, manufacture and marketing of plasma-derived medicines, diagnostic systems and hospital supplies. With a core focus on immunotherapy and transfusion medicine, the company harnesses human plasma proteins to create therapies that treat a wide range of bleeding disorders, immunodeficiencies and neurological conditions. Grifols also supplies reagents and diagnostic instruments for transfusion centers and clinical laboratories, alongside intravenous solutions and medical devices for hospital use.

The company operates three main business units.