William Blair Investment Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI)

William Blair Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMSI) by 0.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,375,272 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 20,560 shares during the period. Merit Medical Systems accounts for about 0.9% of William Blair Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 5.86% of Merit Medical Systems worth $282,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Merit Medical Systems by 486.4% in the first quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,466 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,216 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 18.5% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,258 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,542,000 after buying an additional 10,343 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Merit Medical Systems by 0.5% in the second quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 81,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,848,000 after buying an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Merit Medical Systems in the first quarter worth approximately $294,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new position in Merit Medical Systems in the first quarter worth approximately $1,974,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

Merit Medical Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MMSI traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $71.45. The stock had a trading volume of 47,036 shares, compared to its average volume of 297,296. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 3.13. The company has a 50 day moving average of $68.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.36. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $62.58 and a twelve month high of $85.62. The firm has a market cap of $4.13 billion, a PE ratio of 41.25, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.93.

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.10. Merit Medical Systems had a return on equity of 14.71% and a net margin of 8.17%. The firm had revenue of $315.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $306.25 million. Research analysts predict that Merit Medical Systems, Inc. will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Merit Medical Systems

In other Merit Medical Systems news, COO Neil Peterson sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.91, for a total value of $543,280.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MMSI shares. Barrington Research boosted their price objective on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of Merit Medical Systems from $96.00 to $81.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on Merit Medical Systems from $86.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Merit Medical Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.50.

About Merit Medical Systems

Merit Medical Systems, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and markets single-use medical products for interventional, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures, primarily in cardiology, radiology, oncology, critical care, and endoscopy. It operates in two segments, Cardiovascular and Endoscopy. The company provides peripheral intervention products for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in peripheral vessels and organs; 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.