Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Invests $2.35 Million in Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 31,741 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,350,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the third quarter worth $30,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in Edwards Lifesciences in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Edwards Lifesciences in the third quarter worth $32,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Edwards Lifesciences by 138.7% in the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 530 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc bought a new position in Edwards Lifesciences in the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised Edwards Lifesciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Edwards Lifesciences from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Edwards Lifesciences from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on Edwards Lifesciences from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Daniel J. Lippis sold 400 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.48, for a total value of $27,792.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 22,588 shares in the company, valued at $1,569,414.24. This trade represents a 1.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven R. Loranger sold 5,739 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.42, for a total value of $438,574.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,613,628.24. The trade was a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 51,303 shares of company stock worth $3,715,776 over the last three months. 1.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Edwards Lifesciences Price Performance

Shares of EW stock opened at $70.87 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $71.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.35. The company has a quick ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $41.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17, a PEG ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 1.12. Edwards Lifesciences Co. has a 12 month low of $58.93 and a 12 month high of $96.12.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The medical research company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.04. Edwards Lifesciences had a return on equity of 19.40% and a net margin of 72.93%. Research analysts expect that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

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.