UBS Group AG Cuts Stake in AxoGen, Inc. $AXGN

UBS Group AG reduced its stake in AxoGen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXGN) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 90,778 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 23,479 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in AxoGen were worth $2,971,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AxoGen by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,869,955 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $93,934,000 after acquiring an additional 190,557 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of AxoGen in the fourth quarter worth $98,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new stake in shares of AxoGen in the fourth quarter worth $1,946,000. F&V Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AxoGen in the fourth quarter worth $5,793,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AxoGen in the fourth quarter worth $800,000. 80.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John Johnson sold 11,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.26, for a total transaction of $478,023.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $478,023. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Kathy Johnson Weiler sold 16,344 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.09, for a total value of $720,606.96. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $720,606.96. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,262 shares of company stock valued at $1,440,250. Company insiders own 2.44% of the company’s stock.

AxoGen Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AXGN opened at $40.90 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -63.91 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 7.10 and a quick ratio of 5.33. AxoGen, Inc. has a 1 year low of $9.22 and a 1 year high of $45.83. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $36.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.97.

AxoGen (NASDAQ:AXGN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $61.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.85 million. AxoGen had a negative net margin of 13.21% and a negative return on equity of 9.63%. Sell-side analysts expect that AxoGen, Inc. will post -0.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXGN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on AxoGen from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen raised AxoGen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research cut AxoGen from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of AxoGen in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Lake Street Capital increased their target price on AxoGen from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AxoGen has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.50.

AxoGen Company Profile

AxoGen, Inc is a Florida-based medical technology company that develops and commercializes surgical solutions for peripheral nerve damage. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Alachua, Florida, the company focuses on restoring nerve function and improving patient outcomes through innovative biologic and engineered products. AxoGen’s offerings address a range of traumatic and iatrogenic injuries, offering alternatives to traditional nerve autografts.

The company’s core product portfolio includes the Avance® Nerve Graft, a decellularized human nerve allograft designed to bridge nerve gaps without the need for a secondary harvest site, and the Axoguard® Nerve Connector and Protector devices, which facilitate nerve coaptation and protect repaired sites from surrounding scar tissue.