BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) Rating Increased to Sell at StockNews.com

BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com to a "sell" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on BioLife Solutions in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BioLife Solutions presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $23.40.

BioLife Solutions Stock Up 8.5 %

Shares of BLFS traded up $1.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.54. 1,692,947 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 398,185. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 1.83. BioLife Solutions has a 52 week low of $8.92 and a 52 week high of $24.50. The company has a market cap of $885.16 million, a PE ratio of -12.86 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.90.

BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The medical equipment provider reported ($0.19) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.25) by $0.06. BioLife Solutions had a negative net margin of 46.37% and a negative return on equity of 13.36%. The business had revenue of $31.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $29.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.27) earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that BioLife Solutions will post -0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Greef Roderick De sold 7,249 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.60, for a total value of $120,333.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 461,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,666,776.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CMO Todd Berard sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.67, for a total value of $156,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 129,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,031,521.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Greef Roderick De sold 7,249 shares of BioLife Solutions stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.60, for a total transaction of $120,333.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 461,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,666,776.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,996 shares of company stock valued at $562,145 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BioLife Solutions

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of BioLife Solutions by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,630 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in BioLife Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Register Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BioLife Solutions during the first quarter worth $96,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BioLife Solutions by 88.4% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,346 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 5,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of BioLife Solutions in the first quarter valued at about $229,000. 93.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BioLife Solutions Company 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.

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