BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Northland Securities lifted their price target on shares of BioLife Solutions from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on BioLife Solutions from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. HC Wainwright upped their target price on BioLife Solutions from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of BioLife Solutions in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BioLife Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.86.

BioLife Solutions Stock Down 12.0 %

BLFS opened at $22.84 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 2.78. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of -21.55 and a beta of 2.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $26.28 and its 200-day moving average is $25.56. BioLife Solutions has a one year low of $14.84 and a one year high of $29.55.

BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The medical equipment provider reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by $0.32. BioLife Solutions had a negative net margin of 38.98% and a negative return on equity of 6.61%. The firm had revenue of $22.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.73 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.21) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that BioLife Solutions will post -0.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Sarah Aebersold sold 2,695 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.44, for a total value of $68,560.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,098,117.60. This represents a 5.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Troy Wichterman sold 987 shares of BioLife Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.02, for a total value of $26,668.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 121,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,290,468.58. The trade was a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,117 shares of company stock worth $534,442. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BioLife Solutions

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BLFS. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in BioLife Solutions by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 41,179 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,069,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of BioLife Solutions by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 12,988 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $325,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of BioLife Solutions by 41.7% during the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,295 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of BioLife Solutions by 27.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,469 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of BioLife Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 93.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About BioLife Solutions

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.