Artivion (NYSE:AORT) Upgraded by Citizens Jmp to Strong-Buy Rating

Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of Artivion (NYSE:AORT) to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Artivion in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Artivion from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of Artivion in a report on Tuesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Artivion currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.40.

Artivion Stock Performance

NYSE:AORT opened at $27.45 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,372.55 and a beta of 1.54. Artivion has a 1 year low of $21.97 and a 1 year high of $32.33. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.06). Artivion had a negative net margin of 0.22% and a positive return on equity of 5.15%. The business had revenue of $98.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.81 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Artivion will post 0.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Artivion

In related news, SVP Jean F. Holloway sold 5,335 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.31, for a total transaction of $145,698.85. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 149,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,091,010.69. This trade represents a 3.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider John E. Davis sold 6,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.31, for a total transaction of $176,340.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 160,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,386,832.61. This represents a 3.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 90,799 shares of company stock valued at $2,356,223. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Artivion

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its holdings in Artivion by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,041,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,791,000 after buying an additional 226,160 shares during the period. Next Century Growth Investors LLC boosted its holdings in Artivion by 29.7% in the fourth quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 492,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,085,000 after purchasing an additional 112,918 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Artivion by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 463,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,244,000 after purchasing an additional 42,170 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Artivion by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 358,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,241,000 after buying an additional 8,343 shares during the period. Finally, Oberweis Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Artivion by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Oberweis Asset Management Inc. now owns 312,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,946,000 after buying an additional 30,500 shares during the last quarter. 86.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Artivion Company Profile

Artivion, Inc manufactures, processes, and distributes medical devices and implantable human tissues worldwide. The company provides BioGlue, a polymer consisting of bovine blood protein and an agent for cross-linking proteins for cardiac, vascular, neurologic, and pulmonary procedures; cardiac preservation services; PhotoFix, a bovine pericardial patch; and aortic arch stent grafts including E-vita Open Plus and E-vita Open Neo.