Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 17,162 Shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. $MMSI

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 17,162 shares and ending with 732,904 shares valued at about $64.6 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with eight Buy ratings, two Hold ratings, and one Sell rating; the consensus view is a “Moderate Buy” with a $92.80 price target, even as some firms lowered their targets.
• Recent company results were solid: Merit Medical beat quarterly EPS and revenue expectations, and management guided FY2026 EPS to 4.010–4.150, though the stock has been under pressure and was trading near its 52-week low.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 732,904 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 17,162 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 1.24% of Merit Medical Systems worth $64,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 13,562 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,195,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 81.0% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 4,959 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $437,000 after buying an additional 2,219 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 4,324 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 57.7% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,101 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 1,501 shares during the period. Finally, Truist Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 17,370 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,531,000 after buying an additional 2,654 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on MMSI shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merit Medical Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 5th. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $78.00 to $74.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research started coverage on Merit Medical Systems in a research report on Friday, February 6th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $107.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $95.00 to $77.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Eight investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $92.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merit Medical Systems

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

Merit Medical Systems Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of MMSI opened at $61.36 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $67.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.47. The company has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.56, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.58. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.74 and a 52-week high of $100.05. 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 (NASDAQ:MMSI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $381.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $377.59 million. Merit Medical Systems had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 9.03%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. Merit Medical Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.010-4.150 EPS. Analysts predict that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merit Medical Systems Profile

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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