861,781 Shares in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. $MMSI Acquired by Norges Bank

Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 861,781 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $75,957,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in Merit Medical Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $127,000. SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $176,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 68,045 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,997,000 after purchasing an additional 2,516 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $425,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 874,859 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $77,110,000 after purchasing an additional 10,863 shares in the last quarter. 99.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMSI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $83.00 target price on Merit Medical Systems in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barrington Research cut their target price on Merit Medical Systems from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merit Medical Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 5th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on Merit Medical Systems from $101.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Compass Point set a $107.00 target price on Merit Medical Systems in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.80.

Merit Medical Systems Stock Performance

MMSI stock opened at $64.48 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.54. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $59.74 and a 12-month high of $96.74. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $65.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.06.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $381.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $377.59 million. Merit Medical Systems had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 9.03%.The business’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. Merit Medical Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.010-4.150 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.62 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lynne N. Ward sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.61, for a total transaction of $313,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,809 shares in the company, valued at $488,921.49. This represents a 39.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian G. Lloyd acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $62.62 per share, with a total value of $125,240.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $125,240. The trade was a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Merit Medical Systems

Merit Medical Systems, Inc is a global manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of medical devices used in diagnostic and interventional procedures. The company’s product portfolio encompasses vascular access, drainage, embolotherapy, and interventional oncology devices, as well as radiofrequency ablation systems and hemostasis solutions. These products serve physicians and hospitals in critical care settings and support minimally invasive treatment options across multiple specialties, including cardiology, radiology, oncology, neurology and endoscopy.

Founded in 1987 by Fred Lampropoulos, Merit Medical Systems has grown through both organic development and targeted acquisitions to expand its technology offerings and geographic reach.