Chart of the Day: Merit Medical Systems - Strong Buy Sentiment

The Chart of the Day belongs to the healthcare company Merit Medical Systems (MMSI)   .  I found the stock by using Barchart's powerful screening functions to find stocks with the highest technical buy signals, highest Weighted Alpha, superior current momentum and having a Trend Seeker buy signal then used the Flipchart  feature to review the charts for consistent price appreciation.  Since the Trend Seeker signaled a buy on 3/24 the stock gained  15.69%.

Merit Medical Systems, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and markets single-use medical products for interventional, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures, primarily in cardiology, radiology, oncology, critical care, and endoscopy. It operates in two segments, Cardiovascular and Endoscopy. The company provides peripheral intervention products for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in peripheral vessels and organs; and cardiac intervention products, such as access, angiography, electrophysiology and cardiac rhythm management, fluid management, hemodynamic monitoring, hemostasis, and intervention to treat various heart conditions. It also offers custom procedural solutions that include critical care products, disinfection protection systems, syringes, manifold kits, and trays and packs; coated tubes and wires; and sensor components for microelectromechanical systems. In addition, the company provides pulmonary products that consist of laser-cut tracheobronchial stents, over-the-wire and direct visualization delivery systems, and dilation balloons to endoscopically dilate strictures; gastroenterology products; and kits and accessories for endoscopy and bronchoscopy procedures. It sells its products to hospitals and alternate site-based physicians, technicians, and nurses through direct sales force, distributors, original equipment manufacturer partners, or custom procedure tray manufacturers in the United States and internationally. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in South Jordan, Utah.

Barchart's Opinion Trading systems are listed below. Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 20 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com website when you read this report.

Barchart Technical Indicators:

• 100% technical buy signals
• 44.60+Weighted Alpha
• 30.28% gain in the last year
• Trend Seeker buy signal
• Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
• 14 new highs and up 12.64% in the last month
• Relative Strength Index 74.90%
• Recently traded at $83.39 with 50 day moving average of $73.42

Fundamental Factors:

• Market Cap $4.70 billion
• P/E 29.33
• Revenue predicted to grow 6.20% this year and another 5.30% next year
• Earnings estimated to increase 7.40% this year, an additional 10.00% next year and continue to compound at an annual rate of 11.00% for the next 5 years

Analysts and Investor Sentiment -- I don't buy stocks because everyone else is buying but I do realize that if major firms and investors are dumping a stock it's hard to make money swimming against the tide:

• Wall Street analysts issued  4 strong buys, 4 buys and 1 hold opinion on this stock
• Analysts have price targets from $78 to $89 with a consensus of $87
• Value Line gave the stock its above average rating of 2 and an 18 month mid-point price target of $84 for a 5% gain
• CFRAs MarketScope has a strong buy rating 
• Zacks Comments: , It shouldn't be surprising that MMSI is a #2 (Buy) stock and boasts a Momentum Score of A. If you're looking for a fresh pick that's set to soar in the near-term, make sure to keep Merit Medical on your short list.
• 2,580 investors monitor the stock on Seeking Alpha

Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in  the next 72 hours.

Additional disclosure: The Barchart Chart of the Day highlights stocks that are experiencing exceptional current price appreciation. They are not intended to be buy recommendations as these stocks are extremely volatile and speculative. Should you decide to add one of these stocks to your investment portfolio it is highly suggested you follow a predetermined diversification and moving stop loss discipline that is consistent with your personal investment risk tolerance and reevaluate your stop losses at least on a weekly basis.