Mesa Laboratories, Inc (NASDAQ:MLAB) Signals Operational Recovery, Near-Term Upside Expected

Recent operational progress and mixed fundamentals position Mesa for potential short-term appreciation while volatility and leverage require monitoring.

Recent News

On May 27, 2026 the company released fourth-quarter and full fiscal year results for the period ended March 31, 2026, reporting modest revenue growth, expanded adjusted operating income, and commentary on backlog reduction and manufacturing improvements. On May 5, 2026 the company announced the timing of the May 27 results release. On April 2, 2026 the company declared its regular quarterly dividend.

Technical Analysis

ADX/DI+/DI-: ADX at 17.6 indicates no strong trend; DI+ shows a dip & reversal and DI- shows a peak & reversal, both reflecting a bullish directional shift that supports short-term upside potential rather than a sustained trending move.

MACD: MACD sits at 2.06 with an increasing trend and a reading above the signal line (signal 1.83), a bullish momentum confirmation that favors continued near-term upside pressure on price.

MRO: MRO is negative at -9.08, indicating price sits below the model target and therefore carries potential to move higher toward fair-value estimates; the negative MRO supports short-term mean reversion toward the target.

RSI: RSI at 55.03 with a dip & reversal signals regained upside momentum from a mild pullback, compatible with continued short-term strength while remaining short of overbought extremes.

Price versus Moving Averages & Bands: The close at $109.03 trades above the 12-day and 26-day EMAs (12-day EMA $105.47; 26-day EMA $103.36) and above the 20-, 50-, and 200-day averages, consistent with upward bias; the close sits near the 1x upper Bollinger band ($110.34), suggesting near-term resistance may constrain immediate extension. The SuperTrend lower at $95.32 and the 20-day average near $104.98 provide structural support levels to watch.

Volume & Volatility: Daily volume (362,700) exceeds the 10-day average (236,044) and the 50-/200-day averages, indicating elevated market interest; 42-day beta 2.07 and 52-week beta 1.85 underline above-average sensitivity to market moves and higher short-term volatility risk.

 


Fundamental Analysis

Profitability & margins: Gross margin stands at 66.23%. Operating margin equals 4.31% and EBIT margin equals 1.57%; the EBIT margin of 1.57% sits well below the industry peer mean of 20.35% and the industry peer median of 21.81%, indicating materially lower operating profitability relative to peers.

Earnings: Reported EPS of $1.83 exceeded the estimate of $1.39, representing an EPS surprise of +31.66%, which reflects stronger-than-expected per-share profitability for the reported period.

Revenue & growth: Total revenue registers at $63,724,000; revenue growth figure shows a small decline in the aggregate metric (-2.15%) while the provided year-over-year growth figure indicates a large positive YoY change (91.89%) in the data set. Quarter-over-quarter figures show notable compression in operating metrics (operating margin QoQ -64.79%, EBIT margin QoQ -86.57%).

Cash, leverage, and capital: Cash and short-term investments total $26,928,000 with operating cash flow $13,962,000 and free cash flow $13,545,000; free cash flow yield equals 2.55%. Total debt equals $155,169,000, net debt $124,554,000, and debt-to-EBITDA sits at 22.98, reflecting significant leverage relative to earnings. Interest coverage reads 0.39, indicating limited cushion for interest expense.

Efficiency & working capital: Asset turnover equals 0.1478 and cash conversion cycle roughly 144 days; receivables and inventory turnover metrics show modest throughput, and net working capital equals $44,370,000.

Valuation: WMDST values the stock as under-valued. Market multiples show a trailing P/E of 52.48 and forward P/E of 27.46; price-to-book sits at 2.85 while enterprise-value-to-revenue and enterprise multiple differ across measures (EVR 10.34, enterprise multiple 97.57). The EPS beat and elevated gross margin support the WMDST valuation, while high leverage and compressed operating margins temper the fundamental improvement.

MOST-RECENT QUARTERLY REPORT
REPORT PERIOD ENDING: 2026-03-31
REPORT DATE: 2026-05-27
NEXT REPORT DATE: 2026-08-26
CASH FLOW  Begin Period Cash Flow 29.0 M
 Operating Cash Flow 14.0 M
 Capital Expenditures -417.00 K
 Change In Working Capital 3.9 M
 Dividends Paid -884.00 K
 Cash Flow Delta -2.05 M
 End Period Cash Flow 26.9 M
 
INCOME STATEMENT REVENUE
 Total Revenue 63.7 M
 Forward Revenue -65.28 M
COSTS
 Cost Of Revenue 21.5 M
 Depreciation 1.3 M
 Depreciation and Amortization 5.8 M
 Research and Development 5.2 M
 Total Operating Expenses 61.0 M
PROFITABILITY
 Gross Profit 42.2 M
 EBITDA 6.8 M
 EBIT 1.0 M
 Operating Income 2.7 M
 Interest Income
 Interest Expense 2.6 M
 Net Interest Income -2.60 M
 Income Before Tax -1.59 M
 Tax Provision 2.5 M
 Tax Rate 40.0 %
 Net Income -4.14 M
 Net Income From Continuing Operations -4.14 M
EARNINGS
 EPS Estimate 1.39
 EPS Actual 1.83
 EPS Difference 0.44
 EPS Surprise 31.655 %
 Forward EPS 3.07
 
BALANCE SHEET ASSETS
 Total Assets 427.7 M
 Intangible Assets 270.2 M
 Net Tangible Assets -83.97 M
 Total Current Assets 106.3 M
 Cash and Short-Term Investments 26.9 M
 Cash 26.9 M
 Net Receivables 44.1 M
 Inventory 26.4 M
 Long-Term Investments 19.2 M
LIABILITIES
 Accounts Payable 4.9 M
 Short-Term Debt 5.6 M
 Total Current Liabilities 61.9 M
 Net Debt 124.6 M
 Total Debt 155.2 M
 Total Liabilities 241.5 M
EQUITY
 Total Equity 186.2 M
 Retained Earnings -185.75 M
VALUATION & PER-SHARE METRICS EQUITY & PER-SHARE METRICS
 Book Value Per-Share 33.71
 Shares Outstanding 5.525 M
 Revenue Per-Share 11.53
VALUATION
 Market Capitalization 530.6 M
 Enterprise Value 658.9 M
 Enterprise Multiple 97.565
Enterprise Multiple QoQ 119.037 %
Enterprise Multiple YoY 25.754 %
Enterprise Multiple IPRWA high: 167.868
MLAB: 97.565
mean: 82.374
median: 80.811
low: -193.913
 EV/R 10.339
CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Asset To Equity 2.297
 Asset To Liability 1.771
 Debt To Capital 0.454
 Debt To Assets 0.363
Debt To Assets QoQ -12.838 %
Debt To Assets YoY -13.375 %
Debt To Assets IPRWA high: 0.725
MLAB: 0.363
mean: 0.269
median: 0.249
low: 0.002
 Debt To Equity 0.833
Debt To Equity QoQ -14.056 %
Debt To Equity YoY -26.622 %
Debt To Equity IPRWA high: 4.524
MLAB: 0.833
mean: 0.544
median: 0.426
low: -0.465
PRICE-BASED VALUATION
 Price To Book (P/B) 2.849
Price To Book QoQ 20.198 %
Price To Book YoY -30.87 %
Price To Book IPRWA high: 20.943
mean: 5.624
median: 4.172
MLAB: 2.849
low: -12.173
 Price To Earnings (P/E) 52.481
Price To Earnings QoQ 15.322 %
Price To Earnings YoY -156.852 %
Price To Earnings IPRWA high: 194.313
mean: 120.349
median: 98.047
MLAB: 52.481
low: -198.766
 PE/G Ratio 13.196
 Price To Sales (P/S) 8.327
Price To Sales QoQ 22.549 %
Price To Sales YoY -21.454 %
Price To Sales IPRWA high: 62.134
mean: 29.52
median: 21.968
MLAB: 8.327
low: 0.285
FORWARD MULTIPLES
Forward P/E 27.46
Forward PE/G 6.905
Forward P/S -8.128
EFFICIENCY OPERATIONAL
 Operating Leverage 40.347
ASSET & SALES
 Asset Turnover Ratio 0.148
Asset Turnover Ratio QoQ -1.86 %
Asset Turnover Ratio YoY 3.495 %
Asset Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 0.411
MLAB: 0.148
median: 0.128
mean: 0.122
low: 0.002
 Receivables Turnover 1.511
Receivables Turnover Ratio QoQ -6.801 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio YoY -1.96 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 3.141
mean: 1.938
median: 1.582
MLAB: 1.511
low: 0.361
 Inventory Turnover 0.813
Inventory Turnover Ratio QoQ -5.387 %
Inventory Turnover Ratio YoY -8.34 %
Inventory Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 2.164
MLAB: 0.813
mean: 0.607
median: 0.509
low: 0.137
 Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) 60.38
CASH CYCLE
 Cash Conversion Cycle Days (CCC) 143.982
Cash Conversion Cycle Days QoQ 1.429 %
Cash Conversion Cycle Days YoY -1.022 %
Cash Conversion Cycle Days IPRWA high: 587.726
median: 180.7
mean: 160.417
MLAB: 143.982
low: -133.614
CAPITAL DEPLOYMENT
 Cash Conversion Ratio 1.436
 CapEx To Revenue -0.007
 CapEx To Depreciation -0.33
 
CAPITAL, LIQUIDITY & COVERAGE CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Total Capital 332.1 M
 Net Invested Capital 337.7 M
 Invested Capital 337.7 M
 Net Tangible Assets -83.97 M
 Net Working Capital 44.4 M
LIQUIDITY
 Cash Ratio 0.435
 Current Ratio 1.717
Current Ratio QoQ -11.593 %
Current Ratio YoY 174.134 %
Current Ratio IPRWA high: 14.36
mean: 2.73
median: 2.112
MLAB: 1.717
low: 0.038
 Quick Ratio 1.291
Quick Ratio QoQ -11.208 %
Quick Ratio YoY 173.713 %
Quick Ratio IPRWA high: 12.588
mean: 2.016
median: 1.518
MLAB: 1.291
low: 0.37
COVERAGE & LEVERAGE
 Debt To EBITDA 22.978
 Cost Of Debt 0.927 %
 Interest Coverage Ratio 0.386
Interest Coverage Ratio QoQ -84.631 %
Interest Coverage Ratio YoY -67.341 %
Interest Coverage Ratio IPRWA high: 87.935
mean: 17.93
median: 13.911
MLAB: 0.386
low: -102.892
 Operating Cash Flow Ratio -0.039
TIMING / LIQUIDITY
 Days Payables Outstanding (DPO) 19.909
DIVIDENDS
 Dividend Coverage Ratio -4.679
 Dividend Payout Ratio -0.214
 Dividend Rate 0.16
 Dividend Yield 0.002
PERFORMANCE GROWTH
 Asset Growth Rate -1.633 %
 Revenue Growth -2.153 %
Revenue Growth QoQ -129.795 %
Revenue Growth YoY 91.889 %
Revenue Growth IPRWA high: 16.503 %
MLAB: -2.153 %
median: -5.375 %
mean: -7.834 %
low: -65.483 %
 Earnings Growth 3.977 %
Earnings Growth QoQ -98.634 %
Earnings Growth YoY -99.015 %
Earnings Growth IPRWA high: 200.0 %
MLAB: 3.977 %
median: -7.623 %
mean: -14.297 %
low: -145.833 %
MARGINS
 Gross Margin 66.231 %
Gross Margin QoQ 3.202 %
Gross Margin YoY 7.135 %
Gross Margin IPRWA high: 95.029 %
MLAB: 66.231 %
mean: 63.517 %
median: 63.289 %
low: 7.731 %
 EBIT Margin 1.574 %
EBIT Margin QoQ -86.569 %
EBIT Margin YoY -67.181 %
EBIT Margin IPRWA high: 63.148 %
median: 21.811 %
mean: 20.348 %
MLAB: 1.574 %
low: -233.035 %
 Return On Sales (ROS) 4.312 %
Return On Sales QoQ -64.786 %
Return On Sales YoY -10.092 %
Return On Sales IPRWA high: 63.148 %
median: 20.603 %
mean: 20.468 %
MLAB: 4.312 %
low: -219.267 %
CASH FLOW
 Free Cash Flow (FCF) 13.5 M
 Free Cash Flow Yield 2.553 %
Free Cash Flow Yield QoQ -37.319 %
Free Cash Flow Yield YoY 44.237 %
Free Cash Flow Yield IPRWA high: 7.748 %
MLAB: 2.553 %
mean: 0.515 %
median: 0.47 %
low: -15.26 %
 Free Cash Growth -24.842 %
Free Cash Growth QoQ -116.262 %
Free Cash Growth YoY -26.631 %
Free Cash Growth IPRWA high: 324.237 %
MLAB: -24.842 %
mean: -32.299 %
median: -37.858 %
low: -397.308 %
 Free Cash To Net Income -3.275
 Cash Flow Margin -3.752 %
 Cash Flow To Earnings 0.578
VALUE & RETURNS
 Economic Value Added 0.03
 Return On Assets (ROA) -0.959 %
Return On Assets QoQ -214.303 %
Return On Assets YoY -41.31 %
Return On Assets IPRWA high: 5.251 %
mean: 2.049 %
median: 1.583 %
MLAB: -0.959 %
low: -28.223 %
 Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) 0.274 %
 Return On Equity (ROE) -0.022
Return On Equity QoQ -214.249 %
Return On Equity YoY -50.101 %
Return On Equity IPRWA high: 0.413
median: 0.032
mean: 0.03
MLAB: -0.022
low: -0.899
 DuPont ROE -2.218 %
 Return On Invested Capital (ROIC) 0.178 %
Return On Invested Capital QoQ -89.578 %
Return On Invested Capital YoY -74.462 %
Return On Invested Capital IPRWA high: 8.753 %
mean: 2.447 %
median: 2.32 %
MLAB: 0.178 %
low: -14.938 %

Six-Week Outlook

Momentum indicators and price above short- and long-term averages favor a period of near-term upside, but ADX below 20 implies moves may occur as range expansion rather than a sustained trend. Expect price action to respect the upper Bollinger boundary near $110 and to use the 12–26 day EMAs and the SuperTrend lower (~$95) as reference support. Elevated volume and above-market betas increase the chance of sharp intraperiod swings; monitor interest coverage and debt-to-EBITDA for any change in capital strength that could alter risk sentiment over the six-week horizon.

About Mesa Laboratories, Inc.

Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB) develops and manufactures a diverse range of life sciences tools and quality control products. Serving markets across North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and globally, Mesa Laboratories addresses critical needs in various industries. The Sterilization and Disinfection Control segment provides biological, chemical, and cleaning indicators, essential for evaluating sterilization and decontamination processes in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare sectors. This segment also extends testing and laboratory services to dental and pharmaceutical industries. In the Clinical Genomics segment, Mesa Laboratories offers the MassARRAY system, a genetic analysis tool, along with consumables like chips, panels, and chemical reagents. These tools support clinical labs in DNA sample analysis for genetic disease testing, pharmacogenetics, oncology, and more. The Biopharmaceutical Development segment delivers automated systems for protein analysis and peptide synthesis, including Gyrolab and PurePep product lines. The Calibration Solutions segment provides quality control products for measuring critical parameters in environmental and process monitoring, as well as medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Products include continuous monitoring systems, dialysate meters, data loggers, and gas flow calibration equipment, marketed under brands such as DialyGuard, ViewPoint, and DataTrace. Established in 1982, Mesa Laboratories is headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado.



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