Artivion, Inc. $AORT Shares Bought by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT) by 8.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 261,370 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,921 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.54% of Artivion worth $9,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AORT. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Artivion in the 1st quarter valued at $43,044,000. Summit Partners Public Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Artivion during the fourth quarter valued at $39,401,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Artivion by 211.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,101,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,228,000 after buying an additional 748,119 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Artivion by 144.4% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 537,375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,510,000 after buying an additional 317,518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in Artivion by 235.5% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 446,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,906,000 after buying an additional 313,446 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Artivion

In other news, SVP Andrew M. Green sold 44,001 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.70, for a total value of $910,820.70. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 60,259 shares in the company, valued at $1,247,361.30. This trade represents a 42.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Artivion Trading Up 1.3%

AORT stock opened at $25.32 on Friday. Artivion, Inc. has a 12-month low of $19.16 and a 12-month high of $48.25. The business’s 50-day moving average is $22.68 and its 200 day moving average is $32.32. The company has a current ratio of 3.86, a quick ratio of 2.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 105.50 and a beta of 1.26.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AORT shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Artivion in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $45.00 price target on Artivion in a report on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings cut Artivion from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price target on shares of Artivion in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Artivion from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Artivion presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.17.

About Artivion

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.