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

Catalent, Inc. (NYSE:CTLT) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $63.47 and last traded at $63.47, with a volume of 344071 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $63.07.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CTLT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Catalent in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Baird R W lowered shares of Catalent from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Catalent from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $63.50 target price on shares of Catalent in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.40.

Catalent Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $11.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -28.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $60.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.11.

Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Catalent had a negative net margin of 9.28% and a negative return on equity of 0.66%. Catalent’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.10) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Catalent, Inc. will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Catalent

In other Catalent news, Director Michelle R. Ryan sold 2,800 shares of the business’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. The trade was a 20.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David Mcerlane sold 1,994 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.97, for a total transaction of $119,580.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 36,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,177,150.88. This trade represents a 5.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,114 shares of company stock worth $305,931 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Catalent

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CTLT. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Catalent during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Catalent during the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its position in shares of Catalent by 45.7% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its position in shares of Catalent by 57.5% during the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Catalent during the third quarter worth approximately $73,000.

About Catalent

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.