Kennedy Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Artivion, Inc. $AORT

Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT) by 19.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 437,792 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 70,030 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned about 0.92% of Artivion worth $18,536,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in Artivion during the 2nd quarter worth $664,000. Sio Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Artivion by 31.0% during the second quarter. Sio Capital Management LLC now owns 158,736 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,937,000 after acquiring an additional 37,558 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc purchased a new position in Artivion during the second quarter worth about $244,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Artivion in the second quarter valued at about $3,750,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in Artivion by 23.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 161,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,858,000 after purchasing an additional 30,989 shares during the period. 86.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AORT shares. Wall Street Zen cut Artivion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.00 price target on shares of Artivion in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $55.00 price objective on Artivion in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on Artivion from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Artivion from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jean F. Holloway sold 8,962 shares of Artivion stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total transaction of $340,556.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 185,095 shares in the company, valued at $7,033,610. The trade was a 4.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO James P. Mackin sold 20,962 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.59, for a total value of $787,961.58. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 780,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,321,365.29. This trade represents a 2.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 133,043 shares of company stock valued at $4,977,158. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Artivion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AORT traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $36.28. 27,983 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 401,410. Artivion, Inc. has a twelve month low of $21.97 and a twelve month high of $48.25. The company has a current ratio of 3.53, a quick ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $40.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.64. The stock has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 181.43 and a beta of 1.60.

Artivion (NYSE:AORT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.03. Artivion had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The firm had revenue of $118.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.42 million. Artivion’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Artivion, Inc. will post 0.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Artivion Company Profile

Artivion, Inc (NYSE: AORT) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets implantable tissue products and surgical devices for cardiac and vascular surgery. The company’s portfolio includes biologic implants derived from human and animal tissue, such as allografts and xenografts, as well as synthetic scaffolds and surgical adhesives. These products are designed to repair, reinforce or replace damaged cardiovascular and thoracic tissues during procedures such as aortic repair, heart valve surgery and vascular reconstruction.

Originally founded in 1984 under the name CryoLife, the company rebranded as Artivion in early 2022 to reflect its broader mission in cardiovascular innovation.