Artivion (NYSE:AORT) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Artivion shares gapped down, opening at $33.60 after closing at $36.62 and last trading around $33.17 on relatively light volume.
• Analysts still show a consensus Moderate Buy with a $50.47 average target (six Buys, two Holds), although several firms have trimmed ratings or targets recently.
• The company beat the quarter (EPS $0.17 vs. $0.14; revenue $118.3M, +19.2% YoY), but insiders sold about 133,043 shares (~$5.0M) in the last quarter, leaving insiders with 7.6% ownership.

Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $36.62, but opened at $33.60. Artivion shares last traded at $33.1650, with a volume of 15,025 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on AORT. Weiss Ratings raised 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 target price 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. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $58.00 price target on shares of Artivion in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $55.00 price objective on Artivion in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Artivion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Artivion presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.47.

Artivion Price Performance

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $38.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.95. The firm has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of 170.83 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 3.53 and a quick ratio of 2.62.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.03. Artivion had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The firm had revenue of $118.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.42 million. Artivion's quarterly revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Artivion, Inc. will post 0.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AORT. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in Artivion in the 2nd quarter valued at about $664,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Artivion by 20.8% during the 2nd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 367,762 shares of the company's stock worth $11,437,000 after buying an additional 63,205 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Artivion during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,750,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in shares of Artivion by 23.7% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 161,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,858,000 after buying an additional 30,989 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Artivion by 338.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 122,199 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,174,000 after acquiring an additional 94,312 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.37% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.