Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) Sees Large Volume Increase

Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 3,546,748 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 16% from the previous session’s volume of 4,212,174 shares.The stock last traded at $69.95 and had previously closed at $68.13.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on EW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Edwards Lifesciences from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 price target on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Edwards Lifesciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of Edwards Lifesciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $100.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.29.

Edwards Lifesciences Trading Up 1.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $41.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.23, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $72.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.61. The company has a current ratio of 3.71, a quick ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The medical research company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.01. Edwards Lifesciences had a net margin of 24.55% and a return on equity of 22.35%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Daveen Chopra sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.95, for a total transaction of $87,437.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 29,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,051,843.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, VP Donald E. Bobo, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.08, for a total value of $330,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 46,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,101,530.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Daveen Chopra sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.95, for a total transaction of $87,437.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 29,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,051,843.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 16,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,218,138. Corporate insiders own 1.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Edwards Lifesciences

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Edwards Lifesciences in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. First Community Trust NA purchased a new stake in Edwards Lifesciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Edwards Lifesciences in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 79.46% of the company’s stock.

Edwards Lifesciences Company Profile

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.