Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 15,144 Shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. $MMSI

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) by 4.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 346,748 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,144 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Merit Medical Systems were worth $23,901,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MMSI. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,231,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $196,645,000 after purchasing an additional 32,459 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Merit Medical Systems by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,167,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $149,407,000 after purchasing an additional 81,030 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,077,796 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $183,137,000 after purchasing an additional 234,682 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,327,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $116,963,000 after purchasing an additional 86,504 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Merit Medical Systems by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,225,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $107,974,000 after buying an additional 47,151 shares in the last quarter. 99.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MMSI. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on Merit Medical Systems from $101.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barrington Research cut their price objective on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $95.00 to $77.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Compass Point set a $107.00 target price on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Merit Medical Systems in a report on Friday, July 10th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merit Medical Systems has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.80.

Merit Medical Systems Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of Merit Medical Systems stock opened at $75.17 on Tuesday. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $59.74 and a 1 year high of $94.75. The firm has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a PE ratio of 32.54, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 3.46. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.42.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $381.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $377.59 million. Merit Medical Systems had a net margin of 9.03% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. Merit Medical Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.010-4.150 EPS. Analysts expect that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merit Medical Systems

In related news, Director Lynne N. Ward sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.61, for a total value of $313,050.00. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian G. Lloyd bought 2,000 shares of Merit Medical Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $62.62 per share, for a total transaction of $125,240.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $125,240. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.