Artivion, Inc. (AORT) Hit a 52 Week High, Can the Run Continue?
Shares of Artivion (AORT) have been strong performers lately, with the stock up 15.9% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $19.63 in the previous session. Artivion has gained 9.5% since the start of the year compared to the 6% move for the Zacks Medical sector and the 4.4% return for the Zacks Medical - Instruments industry.
What's Driving the Outperformance?
The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on February 15, 2024, Artivion reported EPS of $0.11 versus consensus estimate of $-0.13 while it beat the consensus revenue estimate by 4.37%.
For the current fiscal year, Artivion is expected to post earnings of $0.26 per share on $388.9 million in revenues. This represents a 30% change in EPS on a 9.86% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $0.58 per share on $427.05 million in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 123.08% and 9.81%, respectively.
Valuation Metrics
Artivion may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company is due for a pullback from this level.
On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.
Artivion has a Value Score of C. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are A and A, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of B.
In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 75.3X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium to the peer industry average of 28X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 25.5X versus its peer group's average of 13.5X. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.
Zacks Rank
We also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, Artivion currently has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.
Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Artivion passes the test. Thus, it seems as though Artivion shares could have a bit more room to run in the near term.
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Artivion, Inc. (AORT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
