StockNews.com Downgrades AxoGen (NASDAQ:AXGN) to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of AxoGen (NASDAQ:AXGN) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Monday morning.

Separately, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating and issued a $12.00 target price on shares of AxoGen in a research note on Friday, January 19th.

AxoGen Trading Up 1.9 %

NASDAQ AXGN opened at $5.98 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 3.43 and a quick ratio of 2.23. AxoGen has a 12 month low of $3.45 and a 12 month high of $10.83. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $7.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.48. The company has a market capitalization of $261.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.96 and a beta of 1.07.

AxoGen (NASDAQ:AXGN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The medical equipment provider reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.20) by $0.11. AxoGen had a negative return on equity of 22.18% and a negative net margin of 12.99%. The company had revenue of $42.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.70 million. As a group, research analysts predict that AxoGen will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Karen L. Zaderej sold 39,280 shares of AxoGen stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.68, for a total transaction of $301,670.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,124,565 shares in the company, valued at $8,636,659.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Erick Wayne Devinney sold 4,578 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.68, for a total value of $35,159.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 165,661 shares in the company, valued at $1,272,276.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Karen L. Zaderej sold 39,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.68, for a total value of $301,670.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,124,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,636,659.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 111,201 shares of company stock valued at $928,054 in the last three months. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AxoGen

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of AxoGen by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 20,820 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,651 shares in the last quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC purchased a new stake in AxoGen during the first quarter valued at about $1,236,000. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AxoGen by 135.3% in the fourth quarter. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC now owns 84,725 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $579,000 after buying an additional 48,725 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of AxoGen by 69.8% in the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 165,461 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,130,000 after acquiring an additional 68,001 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in AxoGen by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 56,780 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 8,744 shares in the last quarter. 80.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AxoGen

AxoGen, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops and commercializes technologies for peripheral nerve regeneration and repair worldwide. The company's products include Avance Nerve Graft, a biologically active off-the-shelf processed human nerve allograft for bridging severed peripheral nerves without the comorbidities associated with a second surgical site; AxoGuard Nerve Connector, a porcine submucosa extracellular matrix (ECM) coaptation aid for tensionless repair of severed peripheral nerves; AxoGuard Nerve Protector, a porcine submucosa ECM product that is used to wrap and protect damaged peripheral nerves, as well as reinforces the nerve reconstruction while preventing soft tissue attachments; and Axoguard HA+ Nerve Protector, a processed porcine submucosa ECM base layer with a hyaluronate-alginate gel coating designed to provide short- and long-term protection for peripheral nerve injuries.