Asset Planning Inc Purchases Shares of 26,922 Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW)

Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 26,922 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,993,000. Edwards Lifesciences accounts for 1.5% of Asset Planning Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Edwards Lifesciences during the third quarter worth $30,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in Edwards Lifesciences during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Edwards Lifesciences during the third quarter worth $32,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Edwards Lifesciences by 138.7% during the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 530 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 31.1% in the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 700 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 79.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Edwards Lifesciences Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EW opened at $75.96 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.36. The company has a market cap of $44.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.96, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.10. Edwards Lifesciences Co. has a one year low of $58.93 and a one year high of $96.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.46 and a quick ratio of 2.89.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The medical research company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.04. Edwards Lifesciences had a net margin of 70.82% and a return on equity of 20.76%. Research analysts predict that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on EW. Wolfe Research lowered Edwards Lifesciences from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Edwards Lifesciences from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Edwards Lifesciences from $75.00 to $73.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Daiwa America downgraded Edwards Lifesciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.95.

Insider Transactions at Edwards Lifesciences

In other news, VP Donald E. Bobo, Jr. sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.75, for a total value of $492,375.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 46,936 shares in the company, valued at $3,555,402. This represents a 12.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 11,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.76, for a total transaction of $852,300.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 30,561 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,315,301.36. The trade was a 26.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,564,255 in the last three months. 1.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.