Wall Street Zen Downgrades Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO) to Hold

Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

BIO has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories from $265.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $358.50.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Stock Performance

Shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories stock opened at $256.87 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a PE ratio of 9.20 and a beta of 1.18. Bio-Rad Laboratories has a 52 week low of $211.43 and a 52 week high of $343.12. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $305.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $300.82. The company has a quick ratio of 3.94, a current ratio of 5.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical research company reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.57 by ($0.06). Bio-Rad Laboratories had a net margin of 29.42% and a return on equity of 3.95%. The company had revenue of $693.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $694.64 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.90 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Bio-Rad Laboratories will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Bio-Rad Laboratories

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BIO. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Bio-Rad Laboratories in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories by 3,633.3% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 112 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories by 52.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 104 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Bio-Rad Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Bio-Rad Laboratories by 115.2% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 142 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

Bio-Rad Laboratories News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Bio-Rad Laboratories this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a 2026 program to expand margins via operational improvements and cost actions, which could improve profitability over time. Bio‑Rad outlines 2026 margin expansion and 0.5%-1.5% revenue growth guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated a focus on operational fixes and provided a slide deck and detailed Q&A on the call — useful for modeling forward margin improvement timing and one‑time items. Q4 results presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 revenue guidance is modest: management expects roughly flat to low‑single‑digit top‑line growth (about 0.5%–1.5%) with a revenue target around ~$2.6B — implies conservative near‑term growth expectations. Bio‑Rad Reports Fourth‑Quarter and Full‑Year 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: The company provided a full earnings call transcript and presentation that disclose drivers of the quarter and planned cost actions; these documents are important for forecasting the timing and magnitude of margin recovery. Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed consensus: $2.51 actual vs. $2.57 expected, and revenue of $693.2M narrowly missed estimates — EPS declined from $2.90 a year ago, signaling pressure on short‑term earnings momentum. Q4 earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: The company reported a negative net margin (reported -26.4%), which likely reflects discrete charges or restructuring that compressed reported profitability and increased investor uncertainty. Market summary and ratios
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction was sharp: shares dropped with elevated volume after the print and guidance; the combination of an earnings miss and conservative/ muted revenue growth guidance likely triggered the sell‑off. Shares tumble after Q4 miss

Bio-Rad Laboratories Company Profile

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc is a global provider of life science research and clinical diagnostic products. The company operates through two primary business segments: Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. Within the Life Science segment, Bio-Rad offers instruments, reagents and consumables for protein analysis, cell biology, gene expression and other molecular biology applications. The Clinical Diagnostics segment supplies quality control products, blood-typing reagents and instruments, and molecular diagnostic assays used in blood screening, infectious disease testing and routine clinical laboratories.

Founded in 1952 by David and Alice Schwartz and headquartered in Hercules, California, Bio-Rad has grown its footprint across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other regions.