Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest rose 16.6% in April to 1,943,835 shares (about 4.3% of shares) with a days-to-cover ratio of 3.7, signaling increased bearish positioning.
• Insider selling has accelerated—CEO James P. Mackin and SVP Jean F. Holloway recently sold shares, and insiders disposed of 133,043 shares worth $4.98M in the last 90 days, with insiders now owning 6.30% of the stock.
• Analysts are mostly positive (seven Buys, one Hold) giving a consensus "Moderate Buy" and $51 price target; the company beat recent quarterly EPS estimates and reported revenue up 19.2% year-over-year, with a market cap near $1.68B.

Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,943,835 shares, an increase of 16.6% from the March 31st total of 1,667,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 523,130 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days. Currently, 4.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Activity at Artivion

In other news, SVP Jean F. Holloway sold 8,962 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total value of $340,556.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 185,095 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,033,610. This represents a 4.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO James P. Mackin sold 20,962 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.59, for a total transaction of $787,961.58. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 780,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,321,365.29. This trade represents a 2.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 133,043 shares of company stock worth $4,977,158 in the last 90 days. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Artivion

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its position in Artivion by 402.3% during the third quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 648 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Artivion in the third quarter worth $27,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Artivion by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 665 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Artivion by 148.5% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 942 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the period. Finally, USA Financial Formulas boosted its position in Artivion by 163.5% in the fourth quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,133 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares during the last quarter. 86.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Artivion Price Performance

Shares of AORT stock opened at $34.61 on Thursday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $36.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.36. The firm has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 173.06 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 2.62 and a current ratio of 3.53. Artivion has a fifty-two week low of $23.04 and a fifty-two week high of $48.25.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $118.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $116.42 million. Artivion had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 2.21%.The company's revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Artivion will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AORT. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Artivion in a report on Monday, April 20th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $55.00 price target on shares of Artivion in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Artivion from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on shares of Artivion from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Artivion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $51.00.

Artivion Company Profile

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.

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