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

ICU Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICUI) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 838,100 shares, a growth of 14.0% from the December 15th total of 735,400 shares. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 217,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.8 days.

ICU Medical Price Performance

NASDAQ ICUI traded down $2.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $163.87. 219,172 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 180,890. The company has a 50 day moving average of $161.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $159.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.03. ICU Medical has a 52-week low of $86.80 and a 52-week high of $196.26.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ICUI shares. StockNews.com raised ICU Medical from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on ICU Medical from $198.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of ICU Medical from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of ICU Medical in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, ICU Medical currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.67.

Insider Activity at ICU Medical

In other news, CEO Vivek Jain sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.84, for a total value of $2,062,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,973,261.12. This represents a 10.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David C. Greenberg sold 972 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 5,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $796,400.07. The trade was a 16.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 29,737 shares of company stock valued at $4,941,832. 6.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of ICU Medical

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of ICU Medical by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 907,607 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $165,384,000 after acquiring an additional 77,506 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of ICU Medical by 9.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 546,954 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,687,000 after purchasing an additional 48,106 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of ICU Medical by 21.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 311,542 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,996,000 after acquiring an additional 55,588 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in ICU Medical by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 301,107 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $54,868,000 after purchasing an additional 27,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in ICU Medical by 1.3% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 259,481 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,272,000 after acquiring an additional 3,407 shares during the period. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ICU Medical Company Profile

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.