Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New $1.81 Million Investment in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. $MMSI

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 26,300 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,813,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $2,913,050,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,231,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $196,645,000 after purchasing an additional 32,459 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Merit Medical Systems by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,077,796 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $183,137,000 after buying an additional 234,682 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Merit Medical Systems by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,327,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $116,963,000 after buying an additional 86,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,225,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $107,974,000 after buying an additional 47,151 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on MMSI shares. Robert W. Baird set a $83.00 target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $101.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a report on Monday, April 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $106.00 to $96.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.80.

Merit Medical Systems Stock Performance

Shares of MMSI opened at $69.34 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.90. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a PE ratio of 30.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.54. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.74 and a 52-week high of $96.74.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.10. Merit Medical Systems had a net margin of 9.03% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The firm had revenue of $381.88 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.59 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. The firm’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. Equities research analysts predict that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Brian G. Lloyd acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $62.62 per share, with a total value of $125,240.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $125,240. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Lynne N. Ward sold 5,000 shares of Merit Medical Systems stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.61, for a total value of $313,050.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $488,921.49. This represents a 39.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merit Medical Systems Company Profile

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.