Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its stake in shares of Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB) by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,627 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Mesa Laboratories were worth $184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Amalgamated Bank grew its position in Mesa Laboratories by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 1,588 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Mesa Laboratories by 4.0% during the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 2,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Mesa Laboratories by 34.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 393 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Mesa Laboratories during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Mesa Laboratories in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $70,000. 90.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gary M. Owens sold 2,518 shares of Mesa Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $286,095.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,213,794.56. This trade represents a 5.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MLAB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Mesa Laboratories from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Mesa Laboratories in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Mesa Laboratories from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

Mesa Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MLAB opened at $132.33 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $119.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $718.68 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.90 and a beta of 0.86. Mesa Laboratories, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.68 and a 52-week high of $141.17.

Mesa Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. Mesa Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1.40%.

About Mesa Laboratories

Mesa Laboratories, Inc develops, designs, manufactures, sells, and services life sciences tools and quality control products and services in North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The Sterilization and Disinfection Control segment offers biological, chemical, and cleaning indicators, used to assess the effectiveness of sterilization decontamination, disinfection, and cleaning processes in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare industries.