Raymond James & Associates Lowers Holdings in Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB)

Raymond James & Associates cut its stake in shares of Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB - Free Report) by 30.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 20,407 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned 0.87% of Mesa Laboratories worth $4,926,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Mesa Laboratories in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new position in Mesa Laboratories during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Mesa Laboratories by 235.2% in the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 295 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Amundi purchased a new stake in Mesa Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth $102,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mesa Laboratories during the third quarter worth $112,000. 90.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mesa Laboratories Stock Up 0.6 %

Mesa Laboratories stock traded up $0.67 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $104.72. The stock had a trading volume of 23,437 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,086. Mesa Laboratories, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.86 and a 52 week high of $187.75. The company has a market cap of $564.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 616.04 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.86. The business's 50 day moving average price is $103.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.75.

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $53.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.90 million. Mesa Laboratories had a return on equity of 7.41% and a net margin of 0.45%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mesa Laboratories, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Mesa Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. Mesa Laboratories's dividend payout ratio is presently 376.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Mesa Laboratories from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th.

About Mesa Laboratories

Mesa Laboratories, Inc develops, manufactures, and sells life sciences tools and quality control products and services in North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates in four segments: Clinical Genomics, Sterilization and Disinfection Control, Biopharmaceutical Development, and Calibration Solutions.