Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) Trading Up 9.1% Following Strong Earnings

Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB) traded up 9.1% on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $89.09 and last traded at $95.5350. 2,021 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 98% from the average session volume of 94,279 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.53.

The medical instruments supplier reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.66. The business had revenue of $65.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.23 million. Mesa Laboratories had a negative net margin of 0.64% and a positive return on equity of 21.59%.

Mesa Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Mesa Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -200.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Mesa Laboratories from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Mesa Laboratories from $83.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mesa Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Mesa Laboratories in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $94.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 48.9% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 597 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Mesa Laboratories by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 786 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Mesa Laboratories by 432.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 842 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MQS Management LLC bought a new position in Mesa Laboratories in the 2nd quarter valued at $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.60% of the company’s stock.

Mesa Laboratories Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $513.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -291.25 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $81.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.49.

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.