Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $93.27.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. OTR Global raised shares of Edwards Lifesciences from a “mixed” rating to a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Edwards Lifesciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Bank of America upgraded Edwards Lifesciences from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Edwards Lifesciences from $94.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th.

Edwards Lifesciences Stock Performance

NYSE:EW opened at $85.09 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $51.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 2.67, a current ratio of 3.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $90.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.69. Edwards Lifesciences has a fifty-two week low of $60.57 and a fifty-two week high of $96.12.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The medical research company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Edwards Lifesciences had a net margin of 23.01% and a return on equity of 22.86%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58 billion. Analysts expect that Edwards Lifesciences will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Edwards Lifesciences

In related news, CEO Bernard J. Zovighian bought 580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $85.74 per share, for a total transaction of $49,729.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,268 shares in the company, valued at $280,198.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Edwards Lifesciences news, CEO Bernard J. Zovighian bought 580 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $85.74 per share, for a total transaction of $49,729.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $280,198.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 7,255 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.59, for a total transaction of $620,955.45. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 19,074 shares in the company, valued at $1,632,543.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 230,693 shares of company stock valued at $20,310,942. Company insiders own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Edwards Lifesciences

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Edwards Lifesciences in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Pingora Partners LLC bought a new position in Edwards Lifesciences in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 247.0% during the 3rd quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 635 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 452 shares during the period. 79.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.