Bailard Inc. Sells 900 Shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI)

Bailard Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 22,133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Merit Medical Systems were worth $1,681,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Merit Medical Systems by 15.4% in the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 3,895,695 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $268,881,000 after purchasing an additional 520,423 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc purchased a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems during the 3rd quarter worth about $24,446,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,031,173 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $71,172,000 after purchasing an additional 212,256 shares during the period. Comerica Bank purchased a new stake in Merit Medical Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $14,022,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Merit Medical Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,782,000. Institutional investors own 99.66% of the company’s stock.

Merit Medical Systems Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of MMSI stock traded up $0.47 during trading on Friday, reaching $73.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 68,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 486,133. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 5.45 and a quick ratio of 3.95. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.58 and a 1-year high of $85.62. The company has a market capitalization of $4.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $74.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.68.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.04. Merit Medical Systems had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 14.63%. The business had revenue of $324.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $320.66 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.31 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on MMSI. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $88.00 price target on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $98.00 price objective on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $87.00 price target on the stock. CL King started coverage on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $88.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.50.

Insider Transactions at Merit Medical Systems

In related news, CFO Raul Jr. Parra sold 6,480 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.95, for a total value of $479,196.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $887,917.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Joseph Wright sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.68, for a total transaction of $1,892,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 42,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,195,436.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Raul Jr. Parra sold 6,480 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.95, for a total transaction of $479,196.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $887,917.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 49,637 shares of company stock valued at $3,751,673 in the last ninety days. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merit Medical Systems Profile

Merit Medical Systems, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and markets single-use medical products for interventional, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Cardiovascular and Endoscopy. The company provides micropuncture kits, angiographic needles, sheaths, guide wires, and safety products; peripheral intervention, including angiography, drainage, delivery systems, and embolotherapy products; spine products, such as vertebral augmentation, radiofrequency ablation, and bone biopsy systems; oncology products; and cardiac intervention products, such as access, angiography, electrophysiology and cardiac rhythm management, fluid management, hemodynamic monitoring, hemostasis, and intervention to treat various heart conditions.