Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Stake in BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 346,421 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 26,462 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in BioLife Solutions were worth $8,993,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BLFS. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in BioLife Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in BioLife Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in BioLife Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $57,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of BioLife Solutions by 27.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,469 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BioLife Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $255,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.24% of the company’s stock.

BioLife Solutions Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of BLFS stock opened at $24.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -23.58 and a beta of 2.04. BioLife Solutions, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.84 and a 1-year high of $29.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 1.78. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.49.

BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 3rd. The medical equipment provider reported $0.26 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $22.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.73 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.21) EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that BioLife Solutions, Inc. will post -0.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at BioLife Solutions

In related news, insider Sarah Aebersold sold 2,695 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 43,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,098,117.60. This trade represents a 5.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Todd Berard sold 1,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $39,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 104,961 shares in the company, valued at $2,624,025. The trade was a 1.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,117 shares of company stock worth $534,442. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BLFS. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of BioLife Solutions in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on shares of BioLife Solutions from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Northland Securities upped their price target on shares of BioLife Solutions from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of BioLife Solutions from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of BioLife Solutions from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.86.

BioLife Solutions Profile

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.