Emerald Advisers LLC Cuts Holdings in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI)

Emerald Advisers LLC reduced its position in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 302,755 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 12,424 shares during the quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC owned about 0.52% of Merit Medical Systems worth $29,282,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merit Medical Systems in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merit Medical Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems during the third quarter valued at about $120,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 237.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,388 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,494 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. 99.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MMSI shares. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $122.00 to $116.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $120.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $128.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. Finally, Barrington Research cut their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $115.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.78.

Merit Medical Systems Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ MMSI opened at $101.68 on Friday. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $70.70 and a twelve month high of $111.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 3.82 and a current ratio of 5.36. The stock has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.84, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $103.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merit Medical Systems

In related news, insider Brian G. Lloyd sold 25,000 shares of Merit Medical Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.50, for a total value of $2,487,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 38,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,879,803.50. The trade was a 39.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Stephen C. Evans sold 5,000 shares of Merit Medical Systems stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.31, for a total transaction of $526,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,428.67. The trade was a 51.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 109,132 shares of company stock valued at $11,139,521 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Merit Medical Systems Company Profile

Merit Medical Systems, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and markets single-use medical products for interventional, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Cardiovascular and Endoscopy. The company provides micropuncture kits, angiographic needles, sheaths, guide wires, and safety products; peripheral intervention, including angiography, drainage, delivery systems, and embolotherapy products; spine products, such as vertebral augmentation, radiofrequency ablation, and bone biopsy systems; oncology products; and cardiac intervention products, such as access, angiography, electrophysiology and cardiac rhythm management, fluid management, hemodynamic monitoring, hemostasis, and intervention to treat various heart conditions.