Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) Hits New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Shares of Catalent, Inc. (NYSE:CTLT) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $61.50 and last traded at $61.07, with a volume of 3232588 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on CTLT. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $63.50 price target on shares of Catalent in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Catalent in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Catalent from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Baird R W lowered Catalent from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Catalent has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.40.

Catalent Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $59.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.96.

Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.18). Catalent had a negative return on equity of 0.66% and a negative net margin of 9.28%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.10) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Catalent, Inc. will post 0.84 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Catalent

In other news, insider David Mcerlane sold 1,994 shares of Catalent stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.97, for a total transaction of $119,580.18. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 36,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,177,150.88. The trade was a 5.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michelle R. Ryan sold 2,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.70, for a total transaction of $167,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,835 shares in the company, valued at approximately $646,849.50. This trade represents a 20.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,114 shares of company stock worth $305,931 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Catalent

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Catalent in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Catalent in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Catalent during the third quarter worth about $53,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its stake in Catalent by 45.7% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Catalent by 25.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter.

Catalent Company Profile

Catalent, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures solutions for drugs, protein-based biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Biologics, and Pharma and Consumer Health. The Biologics segment provides formulation, development, and manufacturing for biologic proteins, cell gene, and other nucleic acid therapies; pDNA, iPSCs, oncolytic viruses, and vaccines; formulation, development, and manufacturing for parenteral dose forms, including vials, prefilled syringes, and cartridges; and analytical development and testing services for large molecules.