Mason Capital Management LLC Buys Shares of 70,300 Mesa Laboratories, Inc. $MLAB

Mason Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 70,300 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $4,711,000. Mesa Laboratories makes up about 1.0% of Mason Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mesa Laboratories by 17,733.3% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 532 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Mesa Laboratories by 48.9% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 597 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Mesa Laboratories by 30.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,029 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Mesa Laboratories by 432.9% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 842 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Mesa Laboratories during the third quarter worth about $178,000. 90.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mesa Laboratories Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:MLAB opened at $78.98 on Tuesday. Mesa Laboratories, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $55.45 and a fifty-two week high of $131.20. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $87.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $435.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 123.41 and a beta of 0.85.

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.66. Mesa Laboratories had a net margin of 1.51% and a return on equity of 22.02%. The company had revenue of $65.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.23 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mesa Laboratories, Inc. will post 8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mesa Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, February 28th were paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Mesa Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mesa Laboratories news, Director R Tony Tripeny acquired 1,315 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $76.00 per share, with a total value of $99,940.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at $410,248. The trade was a 32.21% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark Christopher Capone acquired 1,301 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $76.35 per share, for a total transaction of $99,331.35. Following the acquisition, the director owned 3,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $261,804.15. The trade was a 61.14% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired 6,116 shares of company stock valued at $452,076 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on MLAB. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Mesa Laboratories from $83.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Mesa Laboratories in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Mesa Laboratories from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Mesa Laboratories from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $94.00.

About Mesa Laboratories

Mesa Laboratories, Inc (NASDAQ: MLAB) is a global provider of instrumentation products designed for critical process monitoring, testing and calibration. Headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, the company serves a diverse set of end markets including healthcare, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, energy and industrial sectors. With a focus on precision measurement and validation, Mesa Laboratories helps customers ensure regulatory compliance, product safety and operational efficiency across complex manufacturing and sterilization processes.

The company’s product portfolio encompasses biological and chemical indicators for sterilization process validation, digital data loggers and sensors for environmental monitoring, and optical gas analyzers with sample-conditioning solutions for oil, gas and petrochemical applications.