BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) Stock Price Down 5.2% - Time to Sell?

BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS - Get Free Report) fell 5.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $20.80 and last traded at $20.75. 54,004 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 433,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.88.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on BLFS shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of BioLife Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of BioLife Solutions in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BioLife Solutions has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.17.

BioLife Solutions Stock Up 3.0%

The firm's 50 day moving average is $22.59 and its 200-day moving average is $25.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of -20.78 and a beta of 2.01.

BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $23.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.22 million. BioLife Solutions had a negative net margin of 38.98% and a negative return on equity of 6.61%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that BioLife Solutions, Inc. will post -0.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Aby J. Mathew sold 10,589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.66, for a total value of $239,946.74. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 309,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,014,992.16. This represents a 3.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Troy Wichterman sold 4,151 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $103,775.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 116,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,920,225. This represents a 3.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 71,756 shares of company stock worth $1,660,535 over the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BioLife Solutions

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in BioLife Solutions by 0.7% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 83,227 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,901,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of BioLife Solutions in the 1st quarter worth about $153,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of BioLife Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,091,000. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in BioLife Solutions by 0.8% during the first quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 247,378 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $5,650,000 after acquiring an additional 1,861 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in BioLife Solutions by 4.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 21,422 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $489,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares during the period. 93.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.