Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Catalent, Inc. (NYSE:CTLT)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $61.50 and last traded at $61.07, with a volume of 3232588 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $59.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CTLT has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut Catalent from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Baird R W lowered shares of Catalent from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Catalent in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $63.50 price target on shares of Catalent in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.40.

Catalent Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $11.07 billion, a PE ratio of -26.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $59.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.26.

Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.05 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. Catalent had a negative return on equity of 0.66% and a negative net margin of 9.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.10) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Catalent, Inc. will post 0.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Catalent

In other Catalent news, Director Michelle R. Ryan sold 2,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.70, for a total value of $167,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,835 shares in the company, valued at $646,849.50. This represents a 20.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David Mcerlane sold 1,994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.97, for a total value of $119,580.18. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 36,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,177,150.88. This represents a 5.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,114 shares of company stock valued at $305,931. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Catalent

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Catalent by 14.9% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 27,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,560,000 after purchasing an additional 3,578 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Catalent during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $214,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of Catalent by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 89,451 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,050,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its stake in shares of Catalent by 2.3% in the first quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 104,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,378 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its holdings in shares of Catalent by 403.3% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 25,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 20,273 shares during the last quarter.

Catalent Company Profile

Catalent, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures solutions for drugs, protein-based biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Biologics, and Pharma and Consumer Health. The Biologics segment provides formulation, development, and manufacturing for biologic proteins, cell gene, and other nucleic acid therapies; pDNA, iPSCs, oncolytic viruses, and vaccines; formulation, development, and manufacturing for parenteral dose forms, including vials, prefilled syringes, and cartridges; and analytical development and testing services for large molecules.