Aristotle Capital Boston LLC Has $33.31 Million Stake in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. $MMSI

Key Points

• Aristotle Capital Boston LLC trimmed its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 38,862 shares and ending with 377,861 shares worth about $33.31 million.
• Merit Medical saw mixed insider activity: director Lynne N. Ward sold 5,000 shares, while insider Brian G. Lloyd bought 2,000 shares on the same day.
• Analysts remain generally positive despite several price-target cuts; the stock still carries a Moderate Buy consensus with a $92.80 average target, and the company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates.

Aristotle Capital Boston LLC decreased its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 377,861 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 38,862 shares during the quarter. Merit Medical Systems makes up 1.8% of Aristotle Capital Boston LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC owned approximately 0.64% of Merit Medical Systems worth $33,305,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 252.6% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 469 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems during the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors own 99.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Merit Medical Systems news, Director Lynne N. Ward sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.61, for a total value of $313,050.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at $488,921.49. This trade represents a 39.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Brian G. Lloyd purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $62.62 per share, for a total transaction of $125,240.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $125,240. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMSI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Merit Medical Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $78.00 to $74.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $95.00 to $77.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $92.80.

Merit Medical Systems Stock Performance

Shares of MMSI opened at $65.24 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $65.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $74.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 5.08. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.74 and a 52-week high of $96.74.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.10. Merit Medical Systems had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 9.03%.The firm had revenue of $381.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $377.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Merit Medical Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.010-4.150 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Merit Medical Systems

Merit Medical Systems, Inc is a global manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of medical devices used in diagnostic and interventional procedures. The company's product portfolio encompasses vascular access, drainage, embolotherapy, and interventional oncology devices, as well as radiofrequency ablation systems and hemostasis solutions. These products serve physicians and hospitals in critical care settings and support minimally invasive treatment options across multiple specialties, including cardiology, radiology, oncology, neurology and endoscopy.

Founded in 1987 by Fred Lampropoulos, Merit Medical Systems has grown through both organic development and targeted acquisitions to expand its technology offerings and geographic reach.

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