Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFCR) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Five brokerages give Lifecore an overall "Hold" rating (1 sell, 2 hold, 2 buy) with an average 12‑month target of $5.50.
• High institutional ownership: Institutional investors own 83.36% of the stock, and several funds (Millennium, AQR, State of Wisconsin, Price T. Rowe) recently increased or established positions.
• Recent performance and valuation: LFCR opened at $4.75 (12‑month range $3.63–$8.98; market cap ~$178M) and reported Q1 EPS of ($0.16), missing estimates and reflecting negative margins, with analysts forecasting about ($0.91) for the year.

Shares of Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFCR - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the five brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $5.50.

LFCR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $5.50 price objective on shares of Lifecore Biomedical in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Lifecore Biomedical in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Lifecore Biomedical to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifecore Biomedical

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Lifecore Biomedical by 86.2% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 251,705 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,059,000 after acquiring an additional 116,500 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Lifecore Biomedical by 28.4% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 16,171 shares of the company's stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 3,574 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Lifecore Biomedical during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $123,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Lifecore Biomedical by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 16,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 2,826 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wisconsin Investment Board raised its position in Lifecore Biomedical by 138.2% during the fourth quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 37,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 21,946 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.36% of the company's stock.

Lifecore Biomedical Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:LFCR opened at $4.75 on Friday. Lifecore Biomedical has a twelve month low of $3.63 and a twelve month high of $8.98. The firm has a market cap of $178.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.85 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50-day moving average of $5.97 and a 200-day moving average of $7.02.

Lifecore Biomedical (NASDAQ:LFCR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 16th. The company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.11) by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $35.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.31 million. Lifecore Biomedical had a negative return on equity of 1,211.09% and a negative net margin of 23.08%. On average, research analysts forecast that Lifecore Biomedical will post -0.91 earnings per share for the current year.

About Lifecore Biomedical

Lifecore Biomedical, Inc is a publicly traded specialty biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Chaska, Minnesota. The company focuses on the development, manufacture and commercialization of hyaluronic acid (HA)–based products that address medical and aesthetic needs. Lifecore’s proprietary HA formulations are designed to meet strict regulatory standards for purity, consistency and performance in highly regulated markets.

The company’s product portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas, including ophthalmology, orthopedics, dermatology and wound care.

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