Howe & Rusling Inc. Invests $385,000 in Transcat, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRNS)

Howe & Rusling Inc. bought a new position in Transcat, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRNS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,526 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $385,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Transcat by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,435 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. White Pine Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Transcat by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. White Pine Capital LLC now owns 9,985 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $978,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Transcat by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 4,377 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $429,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Transcat by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 16,815 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,647,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in Transcat by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 2,434 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. 98.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Transcat Stock Performance

Shares of Transcat stock opened at $107.50 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $108.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $949.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.69 and a beta of 0.61. Transcat, Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.96 and a 52 week high of $116.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.81 and a current ratio of 3.37.

Transcat (NASDAQ:TRNS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 29th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $65.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.36 million. Transcat had a net margin of 4.16% and a return on equity of 9.32%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Transcat, Inc. will post 1.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Transcat

In other Transcat news, Director Charles P. Hadeed sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $79,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 22,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,562,614. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Lee D. Rudow sold 2,373 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Saturday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.43, for a total value of $264,423.39. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,688 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,553,953.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charles P. Hadeed sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $79,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 22,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,562,614. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on TRNS shares. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $124.00 price objective on shares of Transcat in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Transcat in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, TheStreet raised Transcat from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st.

About Transcat

Transcat, Inc provides calibration and laboratory instrument services in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through two segments: Service and Distribution. The Service segment offers calibration, repair, inspection, analytical qualification, preventative maintenance, consulting, and other related services.