BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS) Short Interest Update

BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,310,000 shares, a growth of 5.8% from the December 31st total of 3,130,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 379,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BLFS shares. Northland Securities raised their price objective on shares of BioLife Solutions from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. HC Wainwright decreased their price objective on shares of BioLife Solutions from $29.00 to $27.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of BioLife Solutions in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Craig Hallum increased their price target on BioLife Solutions from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of BioLife Solutions from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $29.43.

Insider Activity at BioLife Solutions

In other news, EVP Aby J. Mathew sold 17,604 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.05, for a total transaction of $352,960.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 284,442 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,703,062.10. This represents a 5.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Troy Wichterman sold 987 shares of BioLife Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.02, for a total value of $26,668.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 121,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,290,468.58. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 54,278 shares of company stock worth $1,199,987 in the last three months. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of BioLife Solutions

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in BioLife Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BioLife Solutions in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BioLife Solutions in the third quarter valued at $57,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of BioLife Solutions by 29.4% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in 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 in the last quarter. 93.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BioLife Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BLFS traded down $0.53 during trading on Thursday, hitting $26.19. 212,114 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 227,338. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $26.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.16. 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 company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.71 and a beta of 1.91. BioLife Solutions has a 1 year low of $14.50 and a 1 year high of $29.55.

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.