Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $79.16 and traded as high as $82.50. Mesa Laboratories shares last traded at $81.13, with a volume of 99,075 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MLAB has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Mesa Laboratories from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Mesa Laboratories in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised Mesa Laboratories from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Mesa Laboratories from $83.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mesa Laboratories has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $94.00.

Mesa Laboratories Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company’s 50-day moving average is $86.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $451.26 million, a P/E ratio of 127.74 and a beta of 0.85.

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.66. The firm had revenue of $65.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.23 million. Mesa Laboratories had a net margin of 1.51% and a return on equity of 22.02%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mesa Laboratories, Inc. will post 8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mesa Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. Mesa Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Insider Activity at Mesa Laboratories

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

Institutional Trading of Mesa Laboratories

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MLAB. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 5,366.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 328 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Mesa Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Mesa Laboratories by 17,733.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Mesa Laboratories by 48.9% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mesa Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. 90.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.