BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give BioLife Solutions an average rating of Moderate Buy (1 sell, 3 buy, 1 strong buy) with a 12‑month average price target of $32.00.
• Insider Karen A. Foster sold 96,923 shares (~$1.95M) on March 5 and insiders have sold ~99,641 shares in the past 90 days, leaving insiders with just 2.20% ownership while institutions own ~93.24%.
• In the latest quarter BioLife beat estimates, reporting $0.02 EPS vs. $0.01 expected and $27.5M revenue vs. $25.66M, with the stock trading near $23 and a market cap of about $1.13B.

BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $32.00.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BLFS shares. Zacks Research upgraded BioLife Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded BioLife Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of BioLife Solutions in a report on Monday, April 20th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other BioLife Solutions news, insider Karen A. Foster sold 96,923 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.15, for a total value of $1,952,998.45. Following the transaction, the insider owned 113,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,291,901.30. This trade represents a 46.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 99,641 shares of company stock valued at $2,009,000. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLFS. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL boosted its position in shares of BioLife Solutions by 85.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 111,356 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,841,000 after acquiring an additional 51,217 shares during the last quarter. Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd acquired a new stake in BioLife Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $9,153,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in BioLife Solutions by 2.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,967,518 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $75,701,000 after purchasing an additional 70,248 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its position in BioLife Solutions by 14.5% during the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 608,814 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $15,531,000 after purchasing an additional 77,095 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Creek Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in BioLife Solutions during the third quarter worth about $4,905,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.24% of the company's stock.

BioLife Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BLFS opened at $23.12 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $20.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -210.16 and a beta of 1.97. BioLife Solutions has a 1 year low of $17.86 and a 1 year high of $29.62.

BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $27.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.66 million. BioLife Solutions had a positive return on equity of 1.71% and a negative net margin of 4.50%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BioLife Solutions will post 0.09 earnings per share for the current year.

About BioLife Solutions

BioLife Solutions NASDAQ: BLFS specializes in biopreservation and cold chain workflow solutions for cell and gene therapies, regenerative medicine and other advanced biologics. The company develops and markets proprietary cryopreservation media and technology platforms designed to maintain cell viability and functionality during processing, storage and transport. BioLife's product portfolio addresses critical steps in the manufacturing and distribution of cell-based products, helping life science researchers and biopharmaceutical manufacturers protect and preserve living cells.

The company's flagship offerings include CryoStor, a family of serum-free cryopreservation media; HypoThermosol, a hypothermic storage solution for short-term cell and tissue preservation; and the ThawSTAR system, an automated cell thawing instrument that delivers controlled and reproducible warming of frozen cell therapies.

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