BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning.

BLFS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of BioLife Solutions in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on shares of BioLife Solutions from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Northland Securities increased their target price on shares of BioLife Solutions from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on BioLife Solutions from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.86.

BioLife Solutions Stock Down 12.0 %

BLFS stock opened at $22.84 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.55 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a 50-day moving average of $26.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.56. BioLife Solutions has a 52-week low of $14.84 and a 52-week high of $29.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 1.78.

BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The medical equipment provider reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $22.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.73 million. BioLife Solutions had a negative return on equity of 6.61% and a negative net margin of 38.98%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.21) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that BioLife Solutions will post -0.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Sarah Aebersold sold 2,695 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.44, for a total value of $68,560.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,098,117.60. This represents a 5.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Troy Wichterman sold 987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.02, for a total value of $26,668.74. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 121,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,290,468.58. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,117 shares of company stock valued at $534,442 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BioLife Solutions

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in BioLife Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of BioLife Solutions during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of BioLife Solutions by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,295 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BioLife Solutions by 27.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,469 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of BioLife Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $171,000. Institutional investors own 93.24% of the company’s stock.

About BioLife Solutions

BioLife Solutions, Inc develops, manufactures, and markets bioproduction tools and services for the cell and gene therapy (CGT) industry in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. The company’s products are used in the basic and applied research, and commercial manufacturing of biologic-based therapies.