Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $85.94 and traded as high as $100.50. Mesa Laboratories shares last traded at $96.47, with a volume of 139,289 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MLAB has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Mesa Laboratories from $83.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mesa Laboratories from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Mesa Laboratories in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $94.00.

Mesa Laboratories Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market cap of $533.00 million, a PE ratio of 150.74 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $92.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.94.

Mesa Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Mesa Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mesa Laboratories

In other news, Director Mark Christopher Capone acquired 1,301 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $76.35 per share, with a total value of $99,331.35. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 3,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $261,804.15. The trade was a 61.14% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Shiraz Shabanali Ladiwala bought 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $72.23 per share, with a total value of $252,805.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $615,616.29. This trade represents a 69.68% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 6,116 shares of company stock worth $452,076. 4.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mesa Laboratories

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 86.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 213,376 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $16,752,000 after purchasing an additional 99,019 shares during the period. Simcoe Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mesa Laboratories in the third quarter worth about $12,794,000. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in Mesa Laboratories by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 153,352 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,038,000 after acquiring an additional 4,794 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 144,606 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,352,000 after acquiring an additional 23,060 shares during the period. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 141,973 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,145,000 after acquiring an additional 18,592 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.60% of the company’s stock.

Mesa Laboratories Company Profile

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.