Fisher Asset Management LLC Sells 16,007 Shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI - Free Report) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 221,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 16,007 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned about 0.38% of Merit Medical Systems worth $16,803,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 15.4% during the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 3,895,695 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $268,881,000 after buying an additional 520,423 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,151,938 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $163,461,000 after buying an additional 11,995 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 1.2% during the third quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,388,905 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $95,862,000 after buying an additional 16,488 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 25.9% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,031,173 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $71,172,000 after buying an additional 212,256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 719,716 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $49,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,967 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.66% of the company's stock.

Merit Medical Systems Trading Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ:MMSI traded up $0.54 on Monday, hitting $79.51. 306,519 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 486,684. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.91. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.58 and a 52 week high of $85.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 4.38 and a current ratio of 6.03. The company's 50-day moving average price is $74.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.32.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $323.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $315.57 million. Merit Medical Systems had a return on equity of 15.02% and a net margin of 7.94%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.64 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Raul Jr. Parra sold 6,480 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.95, for a total value of $479,196.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $887,917.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Thomas James Gunderson sold 18,157 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.03, for a total value of $1,380,476.71. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 19,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,464,109.71. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Raul Jr. Parra sold 6,480 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.95, for a total value of $479,196.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 12,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $887,917.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 49,637 shares of company stock valued at $3,751,673. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMSI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $112.00 to $102.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Merit Medical Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. CL King initiated coverage on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $88.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $87.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $84.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merit Medical Systems presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.78.

About Merit Medical Systems

Merit Medical Systems, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and markets single-use medical products for interventional, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Cardiovascular and Endoscopy. The company provides micropuncture kits, angiographic needles, sheaths, guide wires, and safety products; peripheral intervention, including angiography, drainage, delivery systems, and embolotherapy products; spine products, such as vertebral augmentation, radiofrequency ablation, and bone biopsy systems; oncology products; and cardiac intervention products, such as access, angiography, electrophysiology and cardiac rhythm management, fluid management, hemodynamic monitoring, hemostasis, and intervention to treat various heart conditions.