Bio-Techne Co. (NASDAQ:TECH) Shares Acquired by Snyder Capital Management L P

Snyder Capital Management L P grew its stake in shares of Bio-Techne Co. (NASDAQ:TECH - Free Report) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,127,380 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 63,590 shares during the period. Bio-Techne accounts for 1.7% of Snyder Capital Management L P's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Snyder Capital Management L P owned 0.71% of Bio-Techne worth $81,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Bio-Techne by 46.6% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 16,650 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,215,000 after buying an additional 5,295 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Bio-Techne by 58.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 43,298 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,119,000 after purchasing an additional 16,038 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in Bio-Techne in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,188,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its holdings in Bio-Techne by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 254,034 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $18,298,000 after purchasing an additional 25,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Bio-Techne in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,940,000. 98.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bio-Techne Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:TECH traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $50.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 406,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,214,723. Bio-Techne Co. has a 52 week low of $46.01 and a 52 week high of $85.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 3.94 and a quick ratio of 2.77. The company has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.45. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $56.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.43.

Bio-Techne (NASDAQ:TECH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.03). Bio-Techne had a return on equity of 12.73% and a net margin of 13.22%. As a group, research analysts expect that Bio-Techne Co. will post 1.67 EPS for the current year.

Bio-Techne Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Bio-Techne's payout ratio is currently 32.32%.

Insider Transactions at Bio-Techne

In other Bio-Techne news, Director Amy E. Herr sold 1,860 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.96, for a total transaction of $122,685.60. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $130,336.96. The trade was a 48.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on TECH shares. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Bio-Techne in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Baird R W cut Bio-Techne from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Bio-Techne in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Bio-Techne from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Bio-Techne from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $81.14.

Bio-Techne Company Profile

Bio-Techne Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells life science reagents, instruments, and services for the research and clinical diagnostic markets in the United States, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Greater China, rest of Asia-Pacific, and internationally.