MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB)
Health Care · Life Sciences Tools & Services · NASDAQ
Mesa Laboratories provides essential quality control and life sciences tools designed to protect patient safety and ensure regulatory compliance in highly regulated healthcare and pharmaceutical markets.
What MESA LABORATORIES INC does
Mesa Laboratories is a global manufacturer of life sciences tools and critical quality control solutions for the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and medical device industries. The company operates through four segments—Sterilization and Disinfection Control, Biopharmaceutical Development, Calibration Solutions, and Clinical Genomics—providing indicators, testing services, genetic analysis systems, and calibration instruments to ensure product integrity and regulatory compliance.
Recent developments
Siddhartha Kadia joined as President and CEO in early 2026, focusing on disciplined execution and operational improvements. In the first fiscal quarter of 2027, the company reported 1.0% revenue growth, increased operating income by 129%, and reduced its total net leverage ratio to 1.85.
From MESA LABORATORIES INC's filing of 2026-08-10.
Themes: sterility assurance, genomics analysis, quality control and calibration, pharmaceutical manufacturing tools, medical device safety
Fundamentals
- Price$126.06 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$705M as of 2026-08-03 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return+78.2% 2025-10-08 close $70.75 → 2026-10-08 close $126.06
- P/E104.39 as of 2026-10-08
- Net margin+2.7% FY2026, SEC XBRL
- Gross margin+63.5% FY2026, SEC XBRL
- ROE+3.6% FY2026, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity0.81 as of 2026-09-03
- Revenue growth (YoY)+3.4% as of 2026-09-03
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+4.4% SEC XBRL
- Beta1.43 as of 2026-09-03
- Last reported earnings2026-08-10 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +0.5%; at least 8 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How MLAB compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiotop 10% 185 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-10-08
- net profit marginmiddle range 430 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-09-03
- operating marginmiddle range 417 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-09-03
- gross marginmiddle range 189 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-09-03
- return on equitymiddle range 510 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-09-03
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 402 covered Health Care peers
- indicated dividend yieldbottom 25% 72 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-09-03
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 494 covered Health Care peers, as of FY2026
Position among covered Health Care companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage (FY2026)
Covered by reported results. In FY2026, MLAB's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 52%, free-cash-flow payout 9%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout52% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout9% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2026 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How MESA LABORATORIES INC looks technically
MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB) is trading 25.7% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 162 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 35, with buyers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 47, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 2 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative). It made a new 20-day high about 4 trading days ago.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 25.7% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +25.7% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $121.86 | $121.86 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $100.29 | $100.29 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been higher than the one before it and each dip has been shallower — the pattern chart-watchers call an uptrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | higher highs and higher lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 14 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 14 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed five-part upward sequence — the pattern Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — which on that reading would now be due a pullback rather than more of the same; the labelling fails if price closes above 138.66. It is the only labelling that fits, though not with textbook proportions, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible five-wave upward sequence, complete (atypical proportions) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 162 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 162 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 35, with buyers in control | 34.9 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 47, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 47.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading right at the bottom of its 14-day range ($125.13 to $144.35) — its "stochastic" reading is 5 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 4.8 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 2 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative) | 2 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $144.35 | $144.35 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 12.7% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -12.7% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 89.4% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +89.4% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 12.7% below its highest point of the past year | 12.7% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day high about 4 trading days ago | 4 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 4 trading days ago | 4 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $333.30 (set on 2021-12-29) | $333.30 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($67.73 to $142.23), and it has given back roughly a quarter of its rise from last year’s low — 22% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $93.81 to $96.19. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 21.7% |
| From the all-time high | it is 62.2% below its all-time high | -62.2% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 4.4% below a resistance level at $131.63 — a price it turned at four times since 2025-02-03, most recently on 2026-09-03. Since 2024-10-08 it has 15 such levels below the current price and 4 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +4.4% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $11.40 (set on 2005-08-10) | $11.40 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 1005.8% above its all-time low | +1,006% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 40th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $5.43 between its high and its low — about 4.3% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $5.43 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $120.21 and $140.75 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $120.21 – $130.48 – $140.75 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 4.3% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 4.3% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 4.7 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (25.7% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 4.7 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 1.20× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have raised their average price target by 6.4% since the prior reading | +6.4% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | not available for this company yet | n/a |
Price gaps
1
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 0.4% below the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and had not traded back through that level by the close | -0.3% |
|---|
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed lower 3 sessions in a row, a -11.37% move over the run — an unbroken run of down days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 3 sessions down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 0.8 percentage points (the stock gained 1.9% while the market gained 1.0%) | +0.8% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 34.2 percentage points (the stock gained 38.0% while the market gained 3.8%) | +34.1% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 16.3 percentage points (the stock gained 33.7% while the market gained 17.5%) | +16.3% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 63.2 percentage points (the stock gained 78.2% while the market gained 15.0%) | +63.2% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 6 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, a strong uptrend, with buyers in control, outperforming the market over 6 months, near the bottom of its 14-day range (oversold), trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 6 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 1 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it is currently in a bearish state: MACD momentum is negative — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 1 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 7.1% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is moderate, spanning 7.3% of the share price. | +7.1% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 24% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $101.93 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 191 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +23.7% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 2% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-08-10 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $123.71 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 43 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +1.9% |
Rising wedge, bearish — broke down · entry $132.42 · 68 sessions in
Price levels it has turned at before
MLAB last closed at $126.06 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 15 prices below its last close and 4 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $131.63 | Resistance | 4.4% above the last close | turned there four times · 2025-02-03 to 2026-09-03 |
| $119.67 | Support | 5.1% below the last close | turned there three times · 2025-03-13 to 2026-09-14 |
| $137.63 | Resistance | 9.2% above the last close | turned there three times · 2024-10-18 to 2026-09-24 |
| $141.36 | Resistance | 12.1% above the last close | turned there twice · 2024-11-06 to 2025-03-07 |
| $110.41 | Support | 12.4% below the last close | turned there four times · 2024-10-29 to 2026-06-12 |
| $106.79 | Support | 15.3% below the last close | turned there three times · 2025-06-09 to 2026-07-02 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $138.66.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
This reading has stood for 6 trading days, since 2026-10-01.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · MACD just crossed bearish (12/26/9) · in a strong, established uptrend (ADX) · Analyst price target recently RAISED · beating the market · At the bottom of its 14-day range (stochastic below 20) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (2.00 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 1 analyst
- Mean price target$125.00 range $125.00 – $125.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-03. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for MLAB
- Consensus EPS estimate$2.24 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-03
- Estimate change, 30 days-$0.31 (-12.2%) from $2.55, on 2026-08-29, 35-day window
- Readings revised upward14% of 7 comparable readings
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Reliance on acquisitions for growth and potential integration challenges","Exposure to regulatory and compliance risks in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries","Supply chain challenges and potential fulfillment execution issues impacting shipment timing"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of MLAB's 10-Q filed 2026-02-03 against the prior one filed 2025-11-06.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing (2026-02-03) adds language in Forward-Looking Statements: 'the effect and duration of macroeconomic conditions in relevant markets' as a specific risk factor
- Newer filing (2026-02-03) specifies the fiscal year end date in Overview as 'December 31, 2025' instead of 'September 30, 2025'
- Removed:
- Older filing (2025-11-06) contained sentence: 'Unallocated corporate expenses and other business activities are reported within Corporate and Other.' This sentence is removed in the newer filing (2026-02-03)
- Older filing (2025-11-06) references fiscal year end as 'September 30, 2025' which is replaced with 'December 31, 2025' in newer filing (2026-02-03)
- Reworded:
- Overview section: older filing states 'North America, Europe and the APAC region' (with 'and' before APAC); newer filing states 'North America, Europe, and the APAC region' (with comma before 'and' - Oxford comma style)
- Notes:
- Both filings appear truncated at the end of the 'Inorganic Growth - Acquisitions' section, limiting full comparison of that section
- The date change from September 30, 2025 to December 31, 2025 reflects different quarterly reporting periods rather than a substantive MD&A change
Risk Factors
- Added:
- ASU 2025-05 accounting standard disclosure (new in 2026-02-03 filing) regarding Financial Instruments — Credit Losses with practical expedient for macroeconomic forecasts
- Revenue tables for nine months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (new period covered)
- Revenue tables for three months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (new period covered)
- Geographic revenue attribution for nine months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024
- Clarification that control of products sold in Europe typically occurs upon delivery to customer site (added detail on revenue recognition timing)
- Removed:
- Revenue tables for six months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 (replaced with different period)
- Revenue tables for three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 (replaced with different period)
- Geographic revenue attribution for three and six months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024
- ASU 2025-09 standard reference (renamed to ASU 2025-05 in newer filing)
- Reworded:
- ASU 2023-09 description changed from 'by requiring consistent categories and greater disaggregation of information related to income tax rate reconciliations and the jurisdictions in which income taxes are paid' to 'which enhances the transparency, effectiveness and comparability of annual income tax disclosures'
- ASU 2023-09 expected impact changed from 'presentation of additional disaggregated data in our income tax footnote disclosures for annual periods' to 'presentation of additional disaggregated information related to the jurisdictions in which we pay income taxes and income tax rate reconciliations in our annual income tax footnote disclosures'
- ASU 2024-03 language changed from 'we currently expect to disclose' to 'we expect to disclose'
- Revenue recognition statement expanded from 'Revenues from hardware and consumables are recognized upon transfer to the customer, typically at the point of shipment' to include specific geographic variations (U.S./Asia Pacific vs. Europe)
- Revenue evaluation description changed from 'We evaluate our revenues internally based on business division and the nature of goods and services provided' to 'We disclose revenues consistently with how management evaluates the business, i.e., based on business unit and the nature of goods and services provided'
- Notes:
- The accounting pronouncements section discusses standards not yet adopted, so changes reflect updated guidance and company assessment rather than implemented changes
- The revenue tables changed from September 30 fiscal quarter periods to December 31 periods, reflecting different quarterly reporting periods between the two filings
- ASU standard number changed from 2025-09 to 2025-05 for the Financial Instruments — Credit Losses standard, suggesting possible clarification or correction between filings
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
2 open-market purchases and 1 open-market sale by insiders in the last 90 days, of which we have read Form 4 filings through 2026-10-04. The 5 days since 2026-10-04 have not been checked yet.
- Last 90 days · read to 2026-10-042 buys ($902411) · 1 sell ($800090) — 2 buying, 1 selling insiders
- Last 180 days · read to 2026-10-042 buys ($902411) · 7 sells ($2M) — 2 buying, 4 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net buying (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-08-13. Based on Form 4 filings read through 2026-10-04; anything filed since is not yet included.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about MLAB's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding MLAB as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 754,381
- Reported value $75,098,509
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 0 new, 4 increased, 1 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about MLAB's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
MLAB had 403,559 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
MLAB had 7.21% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 3.02 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 403,559
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 7.21%
- Prior settlement (shares) 433,982
- Reported change -7.01%
- Days to cover (reported) 3.02
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB) do?
Mesa Laboratories is a global manufacturer of life sciences tools and critical quality control solutions for the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and medical device industries. The company operates through four segments—Sterilization and Disinfection Control, Biopharmaceutical Development, Calibration Solutions, and Clinical Genomics—providing indicators, testing services, genetic analysis systems, and calibration instruments to ensure product integrity and regulatory compliance.
What sector is MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB) in?
MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB) is classified in the Health Care sector. Its industry is Life Sciences Tools & Services. It trades on NASDAQ.
Does MLAB pay a dividend?
Yes — MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 0.51% and at least 8 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-09-03). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are MESA LABORATORIES INC's (MLAB) competitors?
Notable peers of MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB) include 3M Company, STERIS, Danaher, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Agilent Technologies. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB) overbought or oversold right now?
MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 47, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on MLAB come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-03; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.