Start here if you're new
what it is
BioLife sells the freezing media, thawing gear, and shipping boxes that keep fragile cell therapies alive.
how it gets paid
Last year Biolife Solutions made $96M in revenue. biopreservation media was the main engine at $43M, or 45% of sales.
why it's growing
Revenue grew 28.9% last year. 64.6% gross margin matters most because margin → money left after making the product → so what: BioLife has room to become profitable if operating.
what just happened
Revenue jumped to $77M, but EPS still came in at -$0.33.
At a glance
B+ balance sheet — decent shape, but not bulletproof
30/100 earnings predictability — expect surprises
-$0.25 fy2024 eps est
$2B fy2026 rev est
17.3% operating margin
xvary composite: 65/100 — average
What they do
BioLife sells the freezing media, thawing gear, and shipping boxes that keep fragile cell therapies alive.
BioLife sits inside a nasty part of biotech where failure is expensive. Its products are designed into manufacturing workflows, and swapping them out after validation means more time, more paperwork, and more risk to your therapy batch. That helps a 159-employee company punch above its size in cell and gene therapy tools.
How they make money
$96M
annual revenue · their business grew +28.9% last year
biopreservation media
$43M
cell processing tools
$19M
thawing devices
$14M
cloud-connected shippers
$12M
services and other
$8M
The products that matter
core preservation media
Biopreservation media
$64M · 67% of revenue
this is the bigger revenue stream at $64M, and it grew 29% last year. It's the center of gravity for the investment case.
largest segment
thawing and shipping tools
Thawing & shipping
$32M · 33% of revenue
this $32M business grew 20% last year. Smaller than media, but it expands BLFS from a consumables story into workflow infrastructure.
second engine
next product cycle
CellSeal vial integration
6–9 months · revenue not expected until late 2026
management says the cytokine integration project takes 6–9 months, with meaningful revenue not expected until late 2026. That's a real option on future growth, not current proof.
future driver
Key numbers
$96M
annual revenue
That is the actual sales base today. You are buying a sub-$100M revenue company valued at about $887M.
28.9%
revenue growth
Sales grew fast vs. prior year. That is the part of the story working right now.
17.3%
operating margin
Operating margin → profit after running the business → so what: BioLife is still losing money on core operations.
$11M
long-term debt
Debt is only 1% of capital, which gives BioLife more room than most unprofitable small caps.
Financial health
B+
strength
- balance sheet grade B+ — solid but not elite
- risk rank 1 — safer than 95% of stocks
- price stability 10 / 100
- long-term debt $11M (1% of capital)
B+ — functional but not a standout on the balance sheet.
Total return vs. market
Return history isn't available for BLFS right now.
source: institutional data · return history unavailable
What just happened
beat estimates
Revenue jumped to $77M, but EPS still came in at -$0.33.
The top line surged 176% vs. prior year in the latest quarter, while gross margin reached 64.6%. The quiet part is that strong gross profit still did not translate into positive earnings.
$77M
revenue
$0.33
eps
64.6%
gross margin
the number that mattered
64.6% gross margin matters most because margin → money left after making the product → so what: BioLife has room to become profitable if operating costs stop outrunning sales.
source: company earnings report, 2026
Get this snapshot in your inbox
This page, delivered free — plus weekly updates when the numbers change. plain english, no spam.
weekly updates
earnings alerts
plain english
no spam
What could go wrong
the #1 risk is 2026 execution against a suddenly higher bar.
med
Guidance miss
Management guided to $112.5M–$115.0M of 2026 revenue and positive GAAP net income. When a stock has already fallen about 30% since November, missing that bar can turn a sentiment problem into a credibility problem.
The lower end of guidance is the first line in the sand. If growth slips below 17%, the re-rating argument gets harder.
med
Narrow moat, small-company scale
Validated workflows create switching costs, but BLFS still produced only $96.2M of annual revenue. That leaves less room for execution mistakes than larger life sciences suppliers get.
A few delayed orders or softer therapy-manufacturing demand can matter more here than at a diversified tool company.
med
Delayed pull-through from new offerings
The CellSeal cytokine integration project takes 6–9 months, and meaningful revenue is not expected until late 2026. That's a long time in small-cap public-market terms.
If the timeline slips, you lose a future growth lever while the market keeps waiting for proof.
This risk picture is unusually concentrated: one company, $96.2M of revenue, and a 2026 plan that now has to deliver both growth and GAAP profitability.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
earnings
Q1 2026 earnings report
Scheduled for May 7, 2026. This is the first real test of the $112.5M–$115.0M full-year guide and the promise of positive GAAP net income.
margin
gross margin staying near 64.6%
High gross margin is what makes the operating-leverage story believable. If that starts sliding while growth slows, the math gets worse fast.
demand
whether 17–20% growth still looks realistic
The company just posted 29% growth. Investors now need to see that the comedown from that pace is orderly, not abrupt.
product timing
CellSeal integration updates
Management says the cytokine integration work takes 6–9 months, with meaningful revenue expected late 2026. Delays would push out one of the cleaner future catalysts on the page.
Analyst rankings
earnings predictability
30 / 100
Low predictability means the quarterly numbers can move around more than you might like. In human-speak, analysts do not view this as a steady metronome stock.
avg analyst target
$32.00
That's about 28% above $24.94. Useful as a sentiment check, not a substitute for a valuation model.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutional ownership data for BLFS is being compiled.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
n/a
n/a
$25
current price
n/a
target midpoint · n/a from current
Want the deeper analysis?
The full deep dive: dcf model, scenario analysis, competitive moat breakdown, and quarterly tracking — everything on this page, taken further.
see plans from $5/moThe deep dive