Short Interest in BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS) Rises By 5.8%

BioLife Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in 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 short-interest ratio is presently 8.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BLFS shares. HC Wainwright reduced their price objective on shares of BioLife Solutions from $29.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 18th. KeyCorp raised their price target 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. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of BioLife Solutions in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Craig Hallum upped their price objective on shares of BioLife Solutions from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on BioLife Solutions from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at BioLife Solutions

In other BioLife Solutions news, CFO Troy Wichterman sold 987 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.02, for a total value of $26,668.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 121,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,290,468.58. The trade was a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Aby J. Mathew sold 17,604 shares of the 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 trade represents a 5.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 54,278 shares of company stock valued at $1,199,987 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of BioLife Solutions

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in shares of BioLife Solutions by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 41,179 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,069,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in BioLife Solutions by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 12,988 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in BioLife Solutions by 29.4% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 748 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in BioLife Solutions by 5.8% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 13,825 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of BioLife Solutions during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. 93.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BioLife Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BLFS opened at $26.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.84 and a beta of 1.91. BioLife Solutions has a 1-year low of $14.50 and a 1-year high of $29.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $26.82 and its 200 day moving average is $25.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

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.