Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys Shares of 40,653 BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has acquired a new stake in BioLife Solutions, purchasing 40,653 shares valued at about $929,000, representing 0.09% of the company's total shares.
• Several large investors have recently made moves with BioLife Solutions' stock, with 93.24% of the company's shares now owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Despite mixed ratings from analysts, the consensus rating for BioLife Solutions is a "Moderate Buy," with a consensus target price of $31.00.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 40,653 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $929,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.09% of BioLife Solutions as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of BioLife Solutions by 0.3% during the first quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 497,231 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $11,357,000 after acquiring an additional 1,261 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in BioLife Solutions by 14.3% during the first quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 297,448 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $6,794,000 after buying an additional 37,133 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in BioLife Solutions by 22.8% during the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 48,603 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,110,000 after buying an additional 9,015 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in BioLife Solutions by 37.6% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 273,329 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $6,243,000 after buying an additional 74,634 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Palisade Capital Management LP lifted its stake in BioLife Solutions by 13.7% during the first quarter. Palisade Capital Management LP now owns 947,085 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $21,631,000 after purchasing an additional 113,937 shares during the period. 93.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at BioLife Solutions

In other news, major shareholder Casdin Partners Master Fund, L sold 1,000,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.80, for a total transaction of $23,800,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,707,165 shares in the company, valued at $183,430,527. This represents a 11.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,008,831 shares of company stock worth $23,999,658. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on BLFS. Wall Street Zen cut shares of BioLife Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Stephens initiated coverage on BioLife Solutions in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued 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 seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.00.

BioLife Solutions Stock Up 1.0%

NASDAQ BLFS traded up $0.21 on Wednesday, reaching $20.94. The company had a trading volume of 372,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 463,568. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -72.24 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 3.74 and a current ratio of 4.73. BioLife Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.10 and a 1-year high of $29.55. The company's fifty day moving average is $21.95 and its 200-day moving average is $23.71.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.07. BioLife Solutions had a negative net margin of 11.81% and a negative return on equity of 0.66%. The company had revenue of $23.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.22 million. On average, research analysts forecast that BioLife Solutions, Inc. will post -0.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BioLife Solutions Profile

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.