Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) Director Acquires $99,940.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Director R. Tony Tripeny bought 1,315 shares at $76.00 each on March 10 for a total of $99,940, raising his stake to 5,398 shares (a 32.21% increase).
• Mesa beat quarterly estimates with $3.07 EPS (vs. $2.41 expected) and $65.13M revenue, but the stock traded down to $73.23 on heavy volume; the company has a market cap of ~$404M, a PE of 114.42, and a 52-week range of $55.45–$131.20.
• Mesa declared a quarterly dividend of $0.16 ($0.64 annualized, yield 0.9%, payout ratio 100%) and faces mixed analyst coverage with a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a $94 consensus price target.

Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB - Get Free Report) Director R Tony Tripeny acquired 1,315 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $76.00 per share, for a total transaction of $99,940.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 5,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $410,248. The trade was a 32.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Mesa Laboratories Stock Performance

MLAB stock traded down $14.46 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $73.23. The stock had a trading volume of 300,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 101,781. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.20. Mesa Laboratories, Inc. has a 52-week low of $55.45 and a 52-week high of $131.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.94. The stock has a market cap of $404.23 million, a PE ratio of 114.42 and a beta of 0.85.

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.66. The business had revenue of $65.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.23 million. Mesa Laboratories had a net margin of 1.51% and a return on equity of 22.02%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Mesa Laboratories, Inc. will post 8 EPS for the current year.

Mesa Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Saturday, February 28th will be paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Mesa Laboratories's payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Institutional Trading of Mesa Laboratories

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 5,366.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 328 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Mesa Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Mesa Laboratories by 17,733.3% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Mesa Laboratories by 48.9% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 597 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Mesa Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Mesa Laboratories from $83.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Mesa Laboratories from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Mesa Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Mesa Laboratories from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mesa Laboratories has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $94.00.

About Mesa Laboratories

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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