Artivion (NYSE:AORT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Artivion stock was upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, reflecting positive sentiment from multiple analysts.
• The company's recent earnings report showed $0.24 earnings per share, significantly beating analyst expectations, and marked a 15.3% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Institutional investors hold a significant stake in Artivion, with 86.37% of the stock owned by institutions and notable increases in holdings reported recently.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on AORT. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $45.00 target price (up from $32.00) on shares of Artivion in a report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Artivion from $35.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Citizens Jmp upgraded Artivion to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. JMP Securities increased their price target on Artivion from $33.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Artivion from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $40.00.

Artivion Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE AORT traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $43.53. The stock had a trading volume of 859,939 shares, compared to its average volume of 438,163. Artivion has a 1 year low of $21.97 and a 1 year high of $43.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 3.48 and a current ratio of 4.78. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $31.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.07. The firm has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a P/E ratio of -104.08 and a beta of 1.64.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.13. Artivion had a positive return on equity of 5.70% and a negative net margin of 4.43%. The firm had revenue of $112.97 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $107.96 million. The firm's revenue was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Artivion will post 0.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jean F. Holloway sold 8,748 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total value of $253,692.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 178,510 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,176,790. This trade represents a 4.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Marshall S. Stanton sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.50, for a total value of $442,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 64,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,893,900. The trade was a 18.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 62,406 shares of company stock worth $1,801,262 in the last three months. 8.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Artivion by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 165,482 shares of the company's stock worth $4,731,000 after acquiring an additional 33,220 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Artivion by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 20,519 shares of the company's stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Artivion by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 206,777 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,083,000 after purchasing an additional 4,749 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Artivion by 64.2% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 160,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,597,000 after acquiring an additional 62,893 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in Artivion by 45.1% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 36,982 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,057,000 after acquiring an additional 11,501 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.37% of the company's stock.

Artivion Company Profile

Artivion, Inc manufactures, processes, and distributes medical devices and implantable human tissues worldwide. The company provides BioGlue, a polymer consisting of bovine blood protein and an agent for cross-linking proteins for cardiac, vascular, neurologic, and pulmonary procedures; cardiac preservation services; PhotoFix, a bovine pericardial patch; and aortic arch stent grafts including E-vita Open Plus and E-vita Open Neo.