LivaNova (NASDAQ:LIVN) Stock Lifted to Strong-Buy by Barclays

Key Points

• Barclays upgraded LivaNova to “strong buy,” while analysts overall rate the stock “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $87.75.
• LivaNova exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.26 in EPS versus a $1.09 estimate and $390.59 million in revenue, up 10.8% year over year.
• LIVN opened at $75.93, below its 12-month high of $85.76; institutional investors own 97.64% of the company, while insiders have sold shares recently.

LivaNova (NASDAQ:LIVN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Barclays to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Zacks reports.

LIVN has been the topic of several other research reports. Freedom Capital raised LivaNova to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on LivaNova from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of LivaNova from $81.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research cut shares of LivaNova from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 target price on shares of LivaNova in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $87.75.

LivaNova Price Performance

LIVN stock opened at $75.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $78.96 and a 200-day moving average of $74.91. LivaNova has a 12-month low of $48.82 and a 12-month high of $85.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $4.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.46 and a beta of 0.87.

LivaNova (NASDAQ:LIVN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.17. LivaNova had a return on equity of 16.35% and a net margin of 12.82%.The business had revenue of $390.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $380.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that LivaNova will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at LivaNova

In related news, Director Francesco Bianchi sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.01, for a total transaction of $273,035.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at $345,896.34. This trade represents a 44.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Brooke Story sold 2,300 shares of LivaNova stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.42, for a total value of $187,266.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $609,672.96. This represents a 23.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 7,450 shares of company stock valued at $591,839 in the last three months. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LivaNova

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in LivaNova by 93.5% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 298 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in LivaNova in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in LivaNova in the 2nd quarter valued at $119,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of LivaNova by 103.6% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,623 shares of the company's stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 826 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of LivaNova by 18.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,838 shares of the company's stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. 97.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LivaNova Company Profile

LivaNova PLC NASDAQ: LIVN is a medical device company that develops and markets technologies for the treatment of cardiovascular and neurological conditions. The company's principal businesses are organized around its Cardiopulmonary and Neuromodulation segments.

Its cardiopulmonary portfolio includes heart-lung machines, oxygenators, perfusion systems and other equipment used during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures, as well as technologies designed to support cardiac surgery and related clinical applications.

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