BioLife Solutions, Inc. $BLFS Stock Holdings Decreased by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System reduced its position in BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS) by 16.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,558 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,097 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in BioLife Solutions were worth $241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of BioLife Solutions by 243.7% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,155 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,528 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of BioLife Solutions in the first quarter worth approximately $281,000. TD Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of BioLife Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $887,000. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in shares of BioLife Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $299,000. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of BioLife Solutions by 16.0% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 9,077 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares during the period. 93.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BioLife Solutions Price Performance

NASDAQ BLFS opened at $24.50 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.45, a current ratio of 4.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of -204.15 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $22.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.41. BioLife Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $19.10 and a 12-month high of $29.55.

BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical equipment provider reported ($0.33) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.31). The business had revenue of $25.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 million. BioLife Solutions had a negative net margin of 5.39% and a positive return on equity of 0.16%. As a group, equities analysts predict that BioLife Solutions, Inc. will post -0.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BioLife Solutions

In other news, major shareholder Casdin Partners Master Fund, L sold 500,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.60, for a total value of $11,300,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,207,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $162,881,929. The trade was a 6.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 1,508,831 shares of company stock valued at $35,299,658 in the last ninety days. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on BLFS shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of BioLife Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price target (up from $30.00) on shares of BioLife Solutions in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of BioLife Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Stephens started coverage on shares of BioLife Solutions in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BioLife Solutions presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.29.

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.