Franklin Resources Inc. Has $44.37 Million Stock Position in Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO - Free Report) by 15.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 135,057 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,814 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.48% of Bio-Rad Laboratories worth $44,368,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories by 2,175.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 91 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 98 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories by 41.6% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 109 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 65.24% of the company's stock.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Stock Performance

BIO traded down $20.16 during trading on Thursday, reaching $229.01. 84,352 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 313,354. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.38 and a fifty-two week high of $387.99. The company has a market capitalization of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.52 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 4.85, a current ratio of 6.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $269.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $315.95.

Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical research company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.04. Bio-Rad Laboratories had a positive return on equity of 3.90% and a negative net margin of 71.86%. As a group, analysts predict that Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BIO shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $481.00 target price on shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories from $360.00 to $345.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $395.20.

About Bio-Rad Laboratories

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc manufactures and distributes life science research and clinical diagnostic products in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through two segments, Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. The company develops, manufactures, and markets instruments, systems, reagents, and consumables to separate, purify, characterize, and quantitate biological materials such as cells, proteins, and nucleic acids for proteomics, genomics, biopharmaceutical production, cellular biology, and food safety markets.