Natixis Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. $MMSI

Natixis Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) by 32.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 43,878 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 21,271 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merit Medical Systems were worth $3,867,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,853 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $163,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,117 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 0.4% in the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 50,667 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,095,000 after buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 13,562 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,195,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 9.1% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. 99.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merit Medical Systems Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:MMSI opened at $67.51 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.74 and a 52-week high of $96.74. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $65.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $75.75. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.54.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.10. Merit Medical Systems had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 9.03%.The business had revenue of $381.88 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Merit Medical Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.010-4.150 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merit Medical Systems

In related news, insider Brian G. Lloyd acquired 2,000 shares of Merit Medical Systems stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $62.62 per share, for a total transaction of $125,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $125,240. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lynne N. Ward sold 5,000 shares of the company’s 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 owned 7,809 shares in the company, valued at $488,921.49. This represents a 39.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on Merit Medical Systems from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Merit Medical Systems from $101.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Merit Medical Systems from $95.00 to $77.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merit Medical Systems from $78.00 to $74.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Merit Medical Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merit Medical Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.80.

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.