Artivion (NYSE:AORT) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $33.45, but opened at $34.70. Artivion shares last traded at $34.9130, with a volume of 151,693 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AORT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.00 target price on shares of Artivion in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Artivion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $55.00 target price on shares of Artivion in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of Artivion from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Artivion from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Artivion currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.47.

Artivion Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $37.52 and its 200-day moving average is $41.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 173.05 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.53, a quick ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $118.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.42 million. Artivion had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 7.43%. Artivion’s quarterly revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Artivion, Inc. will post 0.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Artivion

In related news, insider John E. Davis sold 4,573 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.78, for a total transaction of $172,767.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 230,794 shares in the company, valued at $8,719,397.32. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lance A. Berry sold 6,316 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.78, for a total transaction of $238,618.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 210,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,965,044.06. This represents a 2.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 133,043 shares of company stock valued at $4,977,158 in the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Artivion

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Artivion by 150.0% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 665 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Artivion by 211.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,101,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,228,000 after buying an additional 748,119 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Artivion in the fourth quarter valued at about $746,000. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Artivion by 21.5% during the fourth quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC now owns 40,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,849,000 after acquiring an additional 7,186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in shares of Artivion during the fourth quarter worth about $248,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.37% of the company’s stock.

About Artivion

Artivion, Inc (NYSE: AORT) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets implantable tissue products and surgical devices for cardiac and vascular surgery. The company’s portfolio includes biologic implants derived from human and animal tissue, such as allografts and xenografts, as well as synthetic scaffolds and surgical adhesives. These products are designed to repair, reinforce or replace damaged cardiovascular and thoracic tissues during procedures such as aortic repair, heart valve surgery and vascular reconstruction.

Originally founded in 1984 under the name CryoLife, the company rebranded as Artivion in early 2022 to reflect its broader mission in cardiovascular innovation.