Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO) Shares Sold by Marathon Asset Management Ltd

Marathon Asset Management Ltd cut its stake in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO - Free Report) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 67,127 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 4,410 shares during the period. Marathon Asset Management Ltd owned about 0.24% of Bio-Rad Laboratories worth $22,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth $3,561,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at about $510,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories by 95.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 44,341 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $14,836,000 after purchasing an additional 21,669 shares during the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories by 63.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 217,885 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $72,900,000 after purchasing an additional 84,237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories by 193.3% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,287 shares during the last quarter. 65.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Stock Down 1.8 %

BIO traded down $4.54 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $251.91. The stock had a trading volume of 143,963 shares, compared to its average volume of 230,451. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $325.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $332.16. The company has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a PE ratio of -3.87 and a beta of 0.90. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. has a twelve month low of $248.22 and a twelve month high of $387.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 4.85 and a current ratio of 6.48.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on BIO shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $481.00 price objective on shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. 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 on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bio-Rad Laboratories presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $395.20.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Profile

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.