Transcat, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRNS) Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Transcat, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRNS) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,002 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Transcat worth $529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of TRNS. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Transcat by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 409,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $49,455,000 after purchasing an additional 74,169 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of Transcat by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 511,701 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $61,798,000 after purchasing an additional 38,774 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Transcat by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 207,230 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $25,027,000 after buying an additional 15,514 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Transcat by 393.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 15,130 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,826,000 after buying an additional 12,061 shares during the period. Finally, Needham Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Transcat by 43.6% during the 3rd quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 39,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $4,770,000 after buying an additional 12,000 shares during the period. 98.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Craig Hallum raised their target price on Transcat from $113.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Northland Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $85.00 target price (down from $110.00) on shares of Transcat in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Oppenheimer downgraded Transcat from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Transcat from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, HC Wainwright dropped their target price on Transcat from $126.00 to $106.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.50.

Transcat Price Performance

TRNS stock opened at $74.28 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Transcat, Inc. has a 52-week low of $71.64 and a 52-week high of $147.12. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $91.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.90. The company has a market capitalization of $691.47 million, a PE ratio of 40.15 and a beta of 0.67.

Transcat (NASDAQ:TRNS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.07. Transcat had a return on equity of 7.23% and a net margin of 6.22%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. Analysts predict that Transcat, Inc. will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Transcat

In other news, Director Craig D. Cairns bought 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $77.02 per share, for a total transaction of $92,424.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,910 shares in the company, valued at $147,108.20. The trade was a 169.01 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Transcat Profile

Transcat, Inc provides calibration and laboratory instrument services in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through two segments: Service and Distribution. The Service segment offers calibration, repair, inspection, analytical qualification, preventative maintenance, consulting, and other related services.