Artivion (NYSE:AORT) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $29.77 and last traded at $29.77, with a volume of 23143 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $27.89.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on AORT. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Artivion from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Artivion in a research report on Friday, September 27th. JMP Securities assumed coverage on Artivion in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Artivion from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.60.

Artivion Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 4.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of -138.00 and a beta of 1.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $26.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.06.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $98.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $97.70 million. Artivion had a negative net margin of 2.22% and a positive return on equity of 3.81%. Research analysts anticipate that Artivion, Inc. will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Matthew A. Getz sold 9,420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.31, for a total transaction of $238,420.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 34,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $863,475.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Artivion news, SVP Jean F. Holloway sold 3,167 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.55, for a total value of $84,083.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 161,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,299,294.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Matthew A. Getz sold 9,420 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.31, for a total value of $238,420.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 34,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $863,475.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 37,109 shares of company stock worth $951,935. Insiders own 8.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Artivion

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AORT. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Artivion by 8.1% in the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 570,242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,066,000 after buying an additional 42,705 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Artivion by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,664,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,388,000 after purchasing an additional 33,982 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Artivion during the first quarter valued at approximately $257,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Artivion by 291.3% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 4,154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Artivion by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 33,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $713,000 after buying an additional 1,634 shares in the last quarter. 86.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Artivion

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.