Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $64.60 Million Stock Position in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. $MMSI

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 732,904 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 17,162 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Merit Medical Systems were worth $64,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MMSI. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 7.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 16,361 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 16.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 719,313 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $76,039,000 after purchasing an additional 103,878 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 745.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 922 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 813 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 24.8% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 59,215 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,535,000 after purchasing an additional 11,770 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 9.1% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. 99.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $83.00 price objective on Merit Medical Systems in a research note on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $95.00 to $77.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings cut Merit Medical Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Merit Medical Systems from $78.00 to $74.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.80.

Insider Activity

In other Merit Medical Systems news, Director Lynne N. Ward sold 5,000 shares of Merit Medical Systems stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.61, for a total transaction of $313,050.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $488,921.49. The trade was a 39.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Brian G. Lloyd bought 2,000 shares of Merit Medical Systems stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $62.62 per share, for a total transaction of $125,240.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $125,240. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Merit Medical Systems Stock Performance

MMSI stock opened at $61.36 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $67.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.47. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.58. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $59.74 and a 1-year high of $100.05.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $381.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $377.59 million. Merit Medical Systems had a return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 9.03%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.86 earnings per share. Merit Medical Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.010-4.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Merit Medical Systems Company Profile

Merit Medical Systems, Inc is a global manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of medical devices used in diagnostic and interventional procedures. The company’s product portfolio encompasses vascular access, drainage, embolotherapy, and interventional oncology devices, as well as radiofrequency ablation systems and hemostasis solutions. These products serve physicians and hospitals in critical care settings and support minimally invasive treatment options across multiple specialties, including cardiology, radiology, oncology, neurology and endoscopy.

Founded in 1987 by Fred Lampropoulos, Merit Medical Systems has grown through both organic development and targeted acquisitions to expand its technology offerings and geographic reach.