Bio-Techne (NASDAQ:TECH) Sets New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Bio-Techne Co. (NASDAQ:TECH - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $46.43 and last traded at $46.97, with a volume of 89433 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $48.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on TECH shares. StockNews.com upgraded Bio-Techne from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Bio-Techne from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $88.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Bio-Techne from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Bio-Techne in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Bio-Techne from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bio-Techne currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $81.14.

Bio-Techne Trading Down 1.1 %

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 stock has a market cap of $7.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.75, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.45. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $57.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.74.

Bio-Techne (NASDAQ:TECH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.35 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts forecast that Bio-Techne Co. will post 1.67 EPS for the current year.

Bio-Techne Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Bio-Techne

In other news, Director Amy E. Herr sold 1,860 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.96, for a total value of $122,685.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $130,336.96. This represents a 48.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Kim Kelderman sold 13,392 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.29, for a total value of $1,035,067.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,004 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,014,619.16. This represents a 25.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in shares of Bio-Techne in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Bio-Techne by 46.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 530 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Bio-Techne during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bio-Techne in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Bio-Techne by 60.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 672 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. 98.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Bio-Techne

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.