Aristotle Capital Boston LLC Trims Stake in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. $MMSI

Aristotle Capital Boston LLC cut its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 377,861 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 38,862 shares during the period. Merit Medical Systems accounts for approximately 1.8% of Aristotle Capital Boston LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC’s holdings in Merit Medical Systems were worth $33,305,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 74.2% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 133,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,761,000 after purchasing an additional 56,828 shares during the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 21,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,904,000 after purchasing an additional 1,963 shares during the last quarter. Armistice Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $423,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP increased its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 1,625.1% during the 4th quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 65,035 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,732,000 after purchasing an additional 61,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. American Capital Management Inc. now owns 93,083 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,204,000 after purchasing an additional 6,004 shares during the last quarter. 99.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on MMSI. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $95.00 to $77.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Merit Medical Systems 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Merit Medical Systems from $106.00 to $96.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.80.

Insider Activity at Merit Medical Systems

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

Merit Medical Systems Price Performance

MMSI opened at $65.24 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $65.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $74.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 3.46. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $59.74 and a 1 year high of $96.74. The firm has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.24, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.54.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.10. Merit Medical Systems had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 9.03%.The business had revenue of $381.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $377.59 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. Merit Medical Systems’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Merit Medical Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.010-4.150 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current year.

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.