DENTSPLY SIRONA (NASDAQ:XRAY) Rating Increased to Strong Sell at Citigroup

Key Points

• Citigroup assigned DENTSPLY SIRONA a "strong sell" rating, even as the consensus analyst rating remains a Hold with an average price target of $14.08 and the stock trading around $12.09 (52‑week range $9.85–$17.18).
• The company reported $0.27 EPS (missing by $0.01) and $961M in revenue (a beat) for the quarter, and set FY2026 guidance of 1.400–1.500 EPS versus analysts' expectation of 1.84 EPS.
• Insiders have been buying stock (directors purchased shares on March 9 and insiders acquired 70,000 shares in the past 90 days worth about $956K), while Goldman Sachs sharply increased its stake by 827% to 2.43M shares, indicating notable insider and institutional buying activity.

DENTSPLY SIRONA (NASDAQ:XRAY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Citigroup to a "strong sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded DENTSPLY SIRONA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Barrington Research boosted their target price on DENTSPLY SIRONA from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group lowered their target price on DENTSPLY SIRONA from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of DENTSPLY SIRONA in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of DENTSPLY SIRONA from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, DENTSPLY SIRONA currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.08.

DENTSPLY SIRONA Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ XRAY opened at $12.09 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.99. DENTSPLY SIRONA has a 52 week low of $9.85 and a 52 week high of $17.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $12.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

DENTSPLY SIRONA (NASDAQ:XRAY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.01). DENTSPLY SIRONA had a positive return on equity of 18.85% and a negative net margin of 16.25%.The company had revenue of $961.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $926.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. DENTSPLY SIRONA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.400-1.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that DENTSPLY SIRONA will post 1.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other DENTSPLY SIRONA news, Director James D. Forbes purchased 5,000 shares of DENTSPLY SIRONA stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $12.48 per share, with a total value of $62,400.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $124,800. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory T. Lucier purchased 15,000 shares of DENTSPLY SIRONA stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.45 per share, for a total transaction of $186,750.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 65,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $809,250. This represents a 30.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired 70,000 shares of company stock worth $956,437 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of DENTSPLY SIRONA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of DENTSPLY SIRONA during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of DENTSPLY SIRONA by 827.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,434,925 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,378,000 after buying an additional 2,172,343 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of DENTSPLY SIRONA by 8.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,324 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 1,320 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of DENTSPLY SIRONA by 7.5% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 593,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $8,860,000 after buying an additional 41,579 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of DENTSPLY SIRONA by 59.1% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 25,181 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $376,000 after buying an additional 9,355 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.70% of the company's stock.

About DENTSPLY SIRONA

Dentsply Sirona Inc NASDAQ: XRAY is a leading global manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies. The company, formed through the merger of Dentsply International and Sirona Dental Systems in February 2016, brings together a long heritage of innovation in dental care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dentsply Sirona develops and markets a comprehensive range of dental consumables, laboratory products, and advanced imaging and CAD/CAM systems.

The company's product portfolio spans preventive, restorative, orthodontic, endodontic and surgical care.

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.