Eagle Asset Management Inc. Has $19.72 Million Holdings in Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB)

Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB - Free Report) by 10.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 165,955 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 16,293 shares during the quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. owned 3.07% of Mesa Laboratories worth $19,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Mesa Laboratories during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 35.2% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 741 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Berry Wealth Group LP purchased a new stake in shares of Mesa Laboratories in the third quarter valued at $204,000. Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 6.5% in the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 1,588 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mesa Laboratories during the second quarter valued at $183,000. 90.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Brian David Archbold sold 1,499 shares of Mesa Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $187,375.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary M. Owens sold 2,518 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $286,095.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,888 shares in the company, valued at $5,213,794.56. This trade represents a 5.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Mesa Laboratories Stock Up 8.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ MLAB traded up $8.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $109.09. The stock had a trading volume of 63,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 40,124. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $121.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.51. Mesa Laboratories, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.68 and a 52 week high of $141.17. The company has a market capitalization of $592.36 million, a P/E ratio of -2.39 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Mesa Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Mesa Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MLAB. StockNews.com downgraded Mesa Laboratories from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Mesa Laboratories in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Mesa Laboratories from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st.

Mesa Laboratories Profile

Mesa Laboratories, Inc develops, designs, manufactures, sells, and services life sciences tools and quality control products and services in North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The Sterilization and Disinfection Control segment offers biological, chemical, and cleaning indicators, used to assess the effectiveness of sterilization decontamination, disinfection, and cleaning processes in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare industries.