Legal & General Group Plc Takes Position in Artivion, Inc. $AORT

Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 259,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,826,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.53% of Artivion at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Artivion during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Artivion by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 399 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Artivion by 148.5% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 942 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Artivion by 47.7% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Artivion in the 4th quarter worth about $79,000. 86.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Artivion Stock Performance

NYSE:AORT opened at $25.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -365.66 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $26.05 and a 200 day moving average of $29.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 2.51. Artivion, Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.16 and a 1-year high of $48.25.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter. Artivion had a negative net margin of 0.67% and a positive return on equity of 6.07%. The firm had revenue of $125.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $119.99 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Artivion, Inc. will post 0.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO James P. Mackin sold 70,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.95, for a total transaction of $2,026,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 877,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,397,111.25. This trade represents a 7.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jean F. Holloway sold 977 shares of Artivion stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.49, for a total value of $27,834.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 184,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,245,521.82. This represents a 0.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 114,978 shares of company stock worth $2,965,155 in the last 90 days. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AORT. Wall Street Zen downgraded Artivion from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of Artivion in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Artivion from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Artivion in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on shares of Artivion from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Artivion presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.83.

Artivion Profile

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.