Atrion Co. (NASDAQ:ATRI) Short Interest Down 8.4% in October

Atrion Co. (NASDAQ:ATRI) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 40,100 shares, a decrease of 8.4% from the October 15th total of 43,800 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 4,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.7 days.

Atrion Price Performance

ATRI stock opened at $298.00 on Friday. Atrion has a 1 year low of $274.98 and a 1 year high of $705.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 7.58 and a quick ratio of 2.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $524.48 million, a PE ratio of 24.67 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s 50-day moving average is $378.82 and its 200-day moving average is $483.61.

Atrion Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $2.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $8.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. Atrion’s payout ratio is 72.85%.

Insider Activity at Atrion

In other news, CEO David A. Battat purchased 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $300.00 per share, with a total value of $90,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,820,000. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 22.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atrion

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATRI. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Atrion by 38.0% during the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 69 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Atrion in the third quarter worth $60,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atrion in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of Atrion by 63.1% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Atrion by 44.1% in the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 65.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Atrion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 21st.

About Atrion

Atrion Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells products for fluid delivery, cardiovascular, and ophthalmology applications in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company's fluid delivery products include valves that fill, hold, and release controlled amounts of fluids or gasses for use in various intubation, intravenous, catheter, and other applications in the anesthesia and oncology fields, as well as promote infection control in hospital and home healthcare environments.