Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Artivion, Inc. $AORT

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT) by 8.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 261,370 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,921 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Artivion were worth $9,571,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Artivion by 107.0% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 38,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $952,000 after acquiring an additional 20,010 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Artivion by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,053 shares of the company’s stock worth $862,000 after purchasing an additional 2,823 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of Artivion by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 23,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of Artivion by 5.6% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 14,272 shares of the company’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Artivion by 40.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 481,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,960,000 after purchasing an additional 139,370 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.37% of the company’s stock.

Artivion Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of AORT stock opened at $25.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 3.86 and a quick ratio of 2.80. The firm has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 105.50 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $22.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.32. Artivion, Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.16 and a 1-year high of $48.25.

Insider Activity at Artivion

In related news, SVP Andrew M. Green sold 44,001 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.70, for a total transaction of $910,820.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 60,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,247,361.30. This trade represents a 42.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on AORT. Stifel Nicolaus set a $45.00 price objective on Artivion in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Artivion in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of Artivion in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered Artivion from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Artivion in a report on Tuesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Artivion presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.17.

About Artivion

Artivion, Inc (NYSE: AORT) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets implantable tissue products and surgical devices for cardiac and vascular surgery. The company’s portfolio includes biologic implants derived from human and animal tissue, such as allografts and xenografts, as well as synthetic scaffolds and surgical adhesives. These products are designed to repair, reinforce or replace damaged cardiovascular and thoracic tissues during procedures such as aortic repair, heart valve surgery and vascular reconstruction.

Originally founded in 1984 under the name CryoLife, the company rebranded as Artivion in early 2022 to reflect its broader mission in cardiovascular innovation.