Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) Downgraded by Wolfe Research to Strong Sell

Wolfe Research cut shares of Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW - Free Report) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Edwards Lifesciences from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays upped their target price on Edwards Lifesciences from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Edwards Lifesciences from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $79.95.

Edwards Lifesciences Trading Down 0.7 %

Edwards Lifesciences stock traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $75.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,937,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,574,817. The company has a 50 day moving average of $72.78 and a 200-day moving average of $69.68. The stock has a market cap of $44.63 billion, a PE ratio of 10.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.89 and a current ratio of 3.46. Edwards Lifesciences has a one year low of $58.93 and a one year high of $96.12.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The medical research company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.04. Edwards Lifesciences had a return on equity of 20.76% and a net margin of 70.82%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Edwards Lifesciences will post 2.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 11,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.76, for a total value of $852,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 30,561 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,315,301.36. This represents a 26.91 % 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 Donald E. Bobo, Jr. sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.75, for a total value of $492,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 46,936 shares in the company, valued at $3,555,402. This represents a 12.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 26,489 shares of company stock valued at $2,002,829. Company insiders own 1.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Edwards Lifesciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Edwards Lifesciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Vega Investment Solutions purchased a new position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in Edwards Lifesciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Edwards Lifesciences during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. 79.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.