UBS Group AG Has $12.76 Million Position in Artivion, Inc. $AORT

Key Points

• UBS Group AG boosted its Artivion stake by 37% in the fourth quarter, ending with 279,675 shares valued at about $12.76 million.
• Several insiders sold shares recently, including CEO James P. Mackin and EVP Lance A. Berry; insiders sold 133,043 shares worth nearly $5.0 million over the last quarter.
• Analysts remain generally positive on Artivion, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $47.83, while the company also beat Q4 earnings and revenue estimates.

UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT - Free Report) by 37.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 279,675 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 75,606 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 0.59% of Artivion worth $12,756,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AORT. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Artivion by 1.6% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 16,912 shares of the company's stock worth $716,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in Artivion by 1.8% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 23,294 shares of the company's stock worth $985,000 after buying an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Artivion by 6.2% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,232 shares of the company's stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Artivion by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,235 shares of the company's stock valued at $512,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Artivion by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.37% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Artivion

In other news, CEO James P. Mackin sold 20,962 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.59, for a total transaction of $787,961.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 780,031 shares in the company, valued at $29,321,365.29. This trade represents a 2.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $238,618.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 210,827 shares in the company, valued at $7,965,044.06. This trade represents a 2.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 133,043 shares of company stock valued at $4,977,158 over the last quarter. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on AORT shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Artivion from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of Artivion from $58.00 to $44.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citizens Jmp reduced their price objective on shares of Artivion from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of Artivion from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Artivion from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $42.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $47.83.

Artivion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AORT opened at $22.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.51 and a beta of 1.41. The company's 50-day moving average is $35.06 and its 200 day moving average is $40.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 2.80 and a current ratio of 3.86. Artivion, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $19.16 and a fifty-two week high of $48.25.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $118.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.42 million. Artivion had a net margin of 2.55% and a return on equity of 7.15%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Artivion, Inc. will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Artivion 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.

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