Wall Street Zen Downgrades Kestra Medical Technologies (NASDAQ:KMTS) to Sell

Kestra Medical Technologies (NASDAQ:KMTS) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Oppenheimer began coverage on Kestra Medical Technologies in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Kestra Medical Technologies in a report on Monday, August 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price objective on shares of Kestra Medical Technologies in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wolfe Research set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Kestra Medical Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Kestra Medical Technologies from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.14.

Kestra Medical Technologies Price Performance

Kestra Medical Technologies stock opened at $22.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.44 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.68. Kestra Medical Technologies has a 12-month low of $17.34 and a 12-month high of $30.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.41, a quick ratio of 4.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Kestra Medical Technologies (NASDAQ:KMTS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported ($0.67) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $28.64 million during the quarter. Kestra Medical Technologies had a negative net margin of 138.35% and a negative return on equity of 57.38%. Equities analysts expect that Kestra Medical Technologies will post -2.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kestra Medical Technologies

In other Kestra Medical Technologies news, insider Brian Webster sold 51,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.52, for a total value of $1,272,588.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 475,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,652,271.80. The trade was a 9.85% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Timothy Moran sold 8,759 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.61, for a total value of $198,040.99. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 68,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,553,872.25. The trade was a 11.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 239,588 shares of company stock valued at $5,802,688 over the last 90 days. 5.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KMTS. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Kestra Medical Technologies by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Kestra Medical Technologies by 26.8% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 3,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Kestra Medical Technologies by 7.3% in the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 874 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its stake in shares of Kestra Medical Technologies by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 5,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,392 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Kestra Medical Technologies by 148.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,638 shares during the period.

Kestra Medical Technologies News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kestra Medical Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kestra appointed Daniel Finney as Vice President of Research & Development and added him to its executive leadership team. Finney has more than 20 years of Class III medical-device experience and previously led Kestra’s new product development. He will oversee innovation for the Cardiac Recovery System, including strategic partnerships and artificial-intelligence initiatives, providing leadership continuity after the retirement of Phillip Foshee. Kestra Names Daniel Finney Vice President of Research & Development
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was zero shares as of September 10, unchanged from the prior reporting period. This suggests limited measurable short-selling pressure, but also provides little new information for investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst expectations remain mixed. BTIG maintains a $32 price target and JPMorgan has a $30 target, while other analysts are more cautious; the reported median target from recent forecasts is $24.50. The upcoming earnings release could prompt additional estimate changes. Kestra earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Four directors sold a combined 16,424 shares worth approximately $414,000. The transactions reduced their individual holdings by about 9% to 48%. Because the sales were made to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, they are less concerning than discretionary selling, though the cluster may weigh on sentiment. SEC insider transaction filings
• Negative Sentiment: Kestra is expected to report a first-quarter loss, adding to concerns about profitability. Its latest reported quarter showed a $0.67 per-share loss, worse than the $0.59 consensus estimate, despite revenue of $28.64 million. Analysts currently forecast a full-year loss of approximately $2.29 per share.

About Kestra Medical Technologies

Kestra Medical Technologies, Inc is a medical device company focused on developing and commercializing technologies for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. The company’s primary product is the ASSURE wearable cardioverter defibrillator, a wearable system designed to continuously monitor a patient’s heart rhythm and deliver an electrical shock when a life-threatening arrhythmia is detected.

The ASSURE system is intended to provide temporary protection for patients who may be at elevated risk of sudden cardiac death but are not yet candidates for, or are awaiting, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.