Janus Henderson Group PLC Cuts Holdings in Mesa Laboratories, Inc. $MLAB

Key Points

• Janus Henderson cut its Mesa Laboratories stake by 40.5% in the first quarter, selling 47,241 shares and retaining 69,401 shares valued at approximately $6.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.6% of MLAB.
• Mesa Laboratories’ latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of $1.53 versus the $1.78 consensus and revenue of $63.72 million versus estimates of $65.21 million. Analysts maintain a “Reduce” consensus rating with an average price target of $94.
• Company insiders sold 8,277 shares worth about $770,122 in the past quarter, while Mesa declared a quarterly dividend of $0.16 per share, representing a 0.6% annualized yield.

Janus Henderson Group PLC lessened its position in shares of Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB - Free Report) by 40.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 47,241 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 1.26% of Mesa Laboratories worth $6,136,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MLAB. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 5,366.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 328 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Mesa Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mesa Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Mesa Laboratories by 30.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,029 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in Mesa Laboratories by 432.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 842 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.60% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO John Sakys sold 2,827 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $253,016.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 19,785 shares in the company, valued at $1,770,757.50. This trade represents a 12.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CAO Lyndsey Elizabeth Crennen sold 442 shares of Mesa Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $39,559.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,790. The trade was a 17.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 8,277 shares of company stock valued at $770,122 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.80% of the company's stock.

Mesa Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MLAB opened at $101.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $565.66 million, a P/E ratio of 84.18 and a beta of 0.92. Mesa Laboratories, Inc. has a one year low of $58.83 and a one year high of $113.99. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $100.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.72.

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.25). Mesa Laboratories had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 20.96%. The firm had revenue of $63.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.21 million. During the same period last year, the business earned ($1.31) EPS.

Mesa Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Mesa Laboratories's payout ratio is 53.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Mesa Laboratories from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $94.00.

Mesa Laboratories Profile

Mesa Laboratories, Inc NASDAQ: MLAB is a global provider of instrumentation products designed for critical process monitoring, testing and calibration. Headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, the company serves a diverse set of end markets including healthcare, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, energy and industrial sectors. With a focus on precision measurement and validation, Mesa Laboratories helps customers ensure regulatory compliance, product safety and operational efficiency across complex manufacturing and sterilization processes.

The company's product portfolio encompasses biological and chemical indicators for sterilization process validation, digital data loggers and sensors for environmental monitoring, and optical gas analyzers with sample-conditioning solutions for oil, gas and petrochemical applications.

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