Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) Hits New 1-Year Low on Insider Selling

Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $59.74 and last traded at $60.1640, with a volume of 224833 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $60.31.

Specifically, Director Lynne N. Ward sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.61, for a total transaction of $313,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $488,921.49. This represents a 39.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMSI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Merit Medical Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 5th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Merit Medical Systems in a research note on Friday, February 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $107.00 target price for the company. Barrington Research dropped their price target on Merit Medical Systems from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on Merit Medical Systems from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Merit Medical Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.80.

Merit Medical Systems Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $68.73 and a 200 day moving average of $79.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.60 billion, a PE ratio of 26.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $381.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $377.59 million. Merit Medical Systems had a net margin of 9.03% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. Merit Medical Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.010-4.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Merit Medical Systems

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Merit Medical Systems during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 252.6% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Merit Medical Systems during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. 99.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merit Medical Systems Company Profile

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.