Short Interest in Atrion Co. (NASDAQ:ATRI) Increases By 22.3%

Atrion Co. (NASDAQ:ATRI) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 119,500 shares, a growth of 22.3% from the March 31st total of 97,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 18,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.4 days. Approximately 8.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Atrion from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd.

Atrion Stock Performance

Shares of Atrion stock traded down $1.51 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $418.49. 18,933 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,142. Atrion has a 52-week low of $274.98 and a 52-week high of $622.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $736.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.11 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $407.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $364.76.

Atrion (NASDAQ:ATRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $43.58 million during the quarter. Atrion had a return on equity of 8.07% and a net margin of 11.46%.

Atrion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $2.20 dividend. This represents a $8.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Atrion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.78%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atrion

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATRI. Penn Mutual Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Atrion in the 4th quarter valued at $1,949,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new stake in Atrion in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,114,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake in Atrion by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 35,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $13,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,609 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atrion during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $333,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atrion in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.19% of the company’s stock.

About Atrion

Atrion Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells products for fluid delivery, cardiovascular, and ophthalmic 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.