Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Catalent, Inc. (NYSE:CTLT)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $61.60 and last traded at $61.60, with a volume of 568585 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $61.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CTLT shares. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $63.50 price objective on shares of Catalent in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com raised Catalent from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Catalent in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Baird R W downgraded shares of Catalent from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $63.40.

Catalent Stock Up 0.7 %

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $59.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $11.23 billion, a PE ratio of -27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.15.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

About Catalent

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.