Needham & Company LLC Has Lowered Expectations for Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) Stock Price

Key Points

• Needham & Company cut its price target for Merit from $101 to $90 but kept a "buy" rating, a level that still implies roughly a 32% upside from the stock's prior close.
• Merit beat Q1 revenue and EPS and raised FY2026 guidance to $4.01–$4.15 EPS, and management completed M&A moves (acquired View Point Medical for $140M, sold DualCap assets for $28M) that support growth, margin expansion and cash‑flow improvement.
• The analyst consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a $98.33 average target; the stock trades near $68, has a ~$4.07B market cap, and is overwhelmingly institutionally owned (~99.7%).

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI - Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by equities research analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $101.00 to $90.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the medical instruments supplier's stock. Needham & Company LLC's price target suggests a potential upside of 32.00% from the company's previous close.

MMSI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merit Medical Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, April 5th. Compass Point set a $107.00 price target on Merit Medical Systems in a report on Monday, April 20th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Merit Medical Systems in a report on Friday, February 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $107.00 price target on the stock. Barrington Research lowered their price target on Merit Medical Systems from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Merit Medical Systems from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merit Medical Systems currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $98.33.

Merit Medical Systems Trading Up 5.2%

Merit Medical Systems stock opened at $68.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.34, a quick ratio of 2.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $70.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.78. Merit Medical Systems has a 12 month low of $63.78 and a 12 month high of $100.19. The company has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.64.

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

Institutional Trading of Merit Medical Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new stake in Merit Medical Systems in the third quarter worth about $2,913,050,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Merit Medical Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $1,537,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Merit Medical Systems by 7.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 917,122 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $76,332,000 after buying an additional 64,920 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 16.8% in the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 863,996 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $71,910,000 after acquiring an additional 124,396 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 250.5% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 750,066 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $62,428,000 after acquiring an additional 536,072 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.66% of the company's stock.

Merit Medical Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 press release — Merit reported $381.9M revenue (+7% YoY), non‑GAAP EPS $0.94 (beat), GAAP EPS $0.68, non‑GAAP operating margin improved and free cash flow rose 26%. Management reorganized revenue reporting into Foundational and Therapeutic categories and highlighted margin and cash‑flow strength. Merit Medical Reports First Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Full-Year Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance raise — Merit updated FY2026 EPS guidance to $4.010–$4.150 vs. prior consensus ~3.93 and reiterated roughly $1.6B revenue, signaling management confidence in the year and providing a clear upside to street estimates. Merit Medical Tops Q1 Forecasts, Raises 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition and divestiture activity — Merit acquired View Point Medical for $140M (adds OneMark imaging/markers) and sold DualCap® assets for $28M; the deals expand therapeutic offerings while monetizing non‑core assets. These M&A moves support growth and were cited by management on the call. Merit Medical Reports First Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Full-Year Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage notes — Multiple outlets (MarketBeat/Yahoo/Zacks) flagged that Merit beat revenue and EPS estimates for Q1, reinforcing the upside narrative and likely contributing to buying interest. Merit Medical Systems’s NASDAQ: MMSI Q1 CY2026: Beats On Revenue
• Neutral Sentiment: Detailed call commentary — The Q1 earnings call transcript provides color on procedure volumes, product adoption and the impact of the new reporting segmentation; useful for modeling but no new material surprises beyond the release. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (MMSI) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings snapshots — Outlets summarized beats (revenue and EPS), margin expansion and cash‑flow improvement; these recaps help confirm results but add little incremental info. Merit Medical: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks recap — Reports Q1 EPS $0.94 vs Zacks $0.84 estimate (beat) and notes YoY EPS growth; useful confirmation for investors tracking consensus beats. Merit Medical (MMSI) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat/Market data — Post‑release summaries and links to call materials and slides are available for deeper review; nothing contradictory to the company release. Merit Medical Systems Q1 report and call materials

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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