Herald Investment Management Ltd Has $1.48 Million Stock Holdings in Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB)

Key Points

• Herald Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in Mesa Laboratories by 68.5%, acquiring an additional 5,083 shares to total 12,500 shares, which represent about 0.23% of the company's stock valued at $1.48 million.
• In the first quarter, several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Charles Schwab Investment Management, also adjusted their positions, indicating growing interest from institutional investors, who own approximately 90.60% of Mesa Laboratories.
• Mesa Laboratories declared a $0.16 quarterly dividend to be paid on September 15, with records dated August 29, which reflects an annualized dividend yield of 1.0% despite a high payout ratio of -457.14%.

Herald Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB - Free Report) by 68.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 5,083 shares during the quarter. Herald Investment Management Ltd owned approximately 0.23% of Mesa Laboratories worth $1,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Mesa Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $92,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Mesa Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $132,000. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Mesa Laboratories by 48.3% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,323 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Mesa Laboratories by 72.9% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,328 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $175,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mesa Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $205,000. 90.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mesa Laboratories Stock Up 4.7%

NASDAQ:MLAB traded up $2.87 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $63.36. The stock had a trading volume of 37,203 shares, compared to its average volume of 84,506. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $86.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $111.63. Mesa Laboratories, Inc. has a 1-year low of $55.45 and a 1-year high of $155.12. The company has a market capitalization of $348.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -452.75 and a beta of 0.83.

Mesa Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Mesa Laboratories's payout ratio is currently -457.14%.

Insider Transactions at Mesa Laboratories

In other Mesa Laboratories news, CFO John Sakys sold 642 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $62,351.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,865 shares in the company, valued at $1,249,448.80. This represents a 4.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Brian David Archbold sold 472 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $45,840.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 558 shares in the company, valued at $54,192.96. This represents a 45.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,053 shares of company stock worth $296,507. Company insiders own 4.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mesa Laboratories from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company raised Mesa Laboratories from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 7th.

Mesa Laboratories Company Profile

Mesa Laboratories, Inc develops, designs, manufactures, sells, and services life sciences tools and quality control products and services in North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The Sterilization and Disinfection Control segment offers biological, chemical, and cleaning indicators, used to assess the effectiveness of sterilization decontamination, disinfection, and cleaning processes in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare industries.