Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) Price Target Lowered to $74.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo trimmed its price target on Merit Medical to $74 from $78 and kept an "equal weight" rating, while the Street consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target near $97.89.
• Operational beat but valuation worries: Merit beat Q1 estimates (EPS $1.04, revenue $393.9M) and raised FY‑2026 guidance to $4.01–$4.15, yet shares fell to $64.78 as investors flagged moderating growth and multiple compression.
• Portfolio reshaping underway: The company closed a ~$140M acquisition of View Point Medical and sold DualCap® assets for about $28M, actions that expand imaging/marker offerings but create near‑term cash outflows and integration work.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $78.00 to $74.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the medical instruments supplier's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective suggests a potential upside of 14.24% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a research report on Friday, February 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $107.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of 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. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $106.00 to $96.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $101.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merit Medical Systems has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.89.

Merit Medical Systems Price Performance

NASDAQ:MMSI traded down $3.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $64.78. The company had a trading volume of 188,169 shares, compared to its average volume of 747,778. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $70.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.78. Merit Medical Systems has a one year low of $62.04 and a one year high of $100.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.86 billion, a PE ratio of 30.55, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 2.95, a current ratio of 4.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $393.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $390.77 million. Merit Medical Systems had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 13.82%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. Merit Medical Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.010-4.150 EPS. Analysts forecast that Merit Medical Systems will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merit Medical Systems

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMSI. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Merit Medical Systems by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 16,361 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,730,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Merit Medical Systems by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 719,313 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $76,039,000 after acquiring an additional 103,878 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Merit Medical Systems by 745.9% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 922 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 813 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Merit Medical Systems by 24.8% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 59,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,535,000 after acquiring an additional 11,770 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Merit Medical Systems by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.66% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Merit Medical Systems

Here are the key news stories impacting Merit Medical Systems this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue of ~$381.9M (up ~7% year‑over‑year) and non‑GAAP EPS $0.94, with margin improvement and stronger free cash flow. These operational beats underpin the company’s updated outlook. Merit Medical Reports First Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Full-Year Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $4.010–$4.150 (above street consensus ~3.93), signaling confidence in cash generation and profitability for the year. Merit Medical Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic portfolio moves: closed acquisition of View Point Medical for $140M ( ~$90M cash at close) to expand imaging/marker products; also sold the DualCap® assets for ~$28M (cash received). These reshape product mix but involve near‑term cash outflows/ins and integration work. Merit Medical Reports First Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Full-Year Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Company updated revenue presentation (Foundational vs Therapeutic) to better reflect end‑markets — useful for analysts/longer‑term modeling but unlikely to move the stock immediately. Merit Medical Reports First Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Full-Year Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target trimmed: Needham lowered its price target from $101 to $90 while keeping a Buy rating, citing sector multiple compression and some growth deceleration — that haircut on the target likely pressured sentiment and contributed to selling. Analyst Reiterates Buy on Merit Medical Systems; Trims PT to $90
• Negative Sentiment: Market is focused on valuation and growth trajectory: despite beats, management noted growth is moderating vs prior periods — coupled with a ~31x P/E multiple, investors may be rotating out on multiple compression rather than fundamentals. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

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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