Short Interest in ICU Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICUI) Increases By 14.0%

ICU Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICUI) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 838,100 shares, an increase of 14.0% from the December 15th total of 735,400 shares. Approximately 3.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 217,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ICUI has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of ICU Medical from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of ICU Medical in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of ICU Medical from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on ICU Medical from $198.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ICU Medical has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.67.

ICU Medical Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ICUI opened at $163.87 on Friday. ICU Medical has a fifty-two week low of $86.80 and a fifty-two week high of $196.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $161.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $158.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.86 and a beta of 0.63.

Insider Transactions at ICU Medical

In other news, Director David C. Greenberg sold 972 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total transaction of $153,682.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,037 shares in the company, valued at $796,400.07. This trade represents a 16.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Vivek Jain sold 1,373 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.48, for a total value of $213,474.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 104,593 shares in the company, valued at $16,262,119.64. This represents a 1.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 29,737 shares of company stock worth $4,941,832 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ICU Medical

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of ICU Medical by 162.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 197 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in ICU Medical by 100.0% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of ICU Medical by 1,510.0% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 322 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of ICU Medical in the 2nd quarter valued at $70,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of ICU Medical in the 2nd quarter valued at $71,000. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ICU Medical

ICU Medical, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells medical devices used in infusion therapy, vascular access, and vital care applications worldwide. Its infusion therapy products include needlefree products under the MicroClave, MicroClave Clear, and NanoClave brands; Neutron catheter patency devices; ChemoClave and ChemoLock closed system transfer devices, which are used to limit the escape of hazardous drugs or vapor concentrations, block the transfer of environmental contaminants into the system, and eliminates the risk of needlestick injury; Tego needle free connectors; Deltec GRIPPER non-coring needles for portal access; and ClearGuard, SwabCap, and SwabTip disinfection caps.