The pretax margin, as know as pretax profit margin, is widely used to measure the operating efficiency of a company before deducting taxes.
The pretax margin is sometimes preferred over the net margin as tax expenditures can make profitability comparisons between companies misleading.
It is a useful tool to compare companies operating in the same sector and less effective when comparing companies from other sectors as each industry generally has different operating expenses and sales patterns.
The long term trend of the pretax margin is a good indicator of the competitiveness and health of the business.
Mesa Laboratories Pretax Margin % Related Terms
Mesa Laboratories Pretax Margin % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Mesa Laboratories's Pretax Margin % can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
MLAB vs AERG, MVIS, ARBE: Pretax Margin % Comparison
For the Scientific & Technical Instruments subindustry, Mesa Laboratories's Pretax Margin %, along with its competitors' market caps and Pretax Margin % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Mesa Laboratories Pretax Margin % vs Hardware Industry
For the Hardware industry and Technology sector, Mesa Laboratories's Pretax Margin % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Mesa Laboratories's Pretax Margin % falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Mesa Laboratories (MLAB) has a Pretax Margin % of -2.50% as of Mar. 2026. Pre-Tax margin is the ratio of total pre-tax income to net sales. View historical data on Mesa Laboratories and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Mesa Laboratories ranks #1097 out of 2472 companies in the Hardware industry, placing it in the top 44.4%.
Is Mesa Laboratories' Pretax Margin % too high?
Mesa Laboratories' current Pretax Margin % is -2.50%. Based on the distribution chart, Mesa Laboratories ranks #1097 out of 2472 companies in the Hardware industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Mesa Laboratories has a GF Score™ of 77/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Mesa Laboratories' Pretax Margin % compare to AERG and MVIS?
According to the Hardware industry distribution chart, Mesa Laboratories ranks #1097 out of 2472 companies for Pretax Margin %. This puts Mesa Laboratories in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Pretax Margin % is 3.58. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Pretax Margin % for a Hardware company?
The median Pretax Margin % among Hardware companies is 3.58, based on 2,472 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Pretax Margin % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Pretax Margin % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Pretax Margin % mean?
A high Pretax Margin % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Pre-Tax margin is the ratio of total pre-tax income to net sales. View historical data on Mesa Laboratories and its competitors. For the Hardware industry, the median Pretax Margin % is 3.58 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Mesa Laboratories's current Pretax Margin % is -2.50%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Mesa Laboratories stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Mesa Laboratories (MLAB) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $116.05, compared to a current price of $98.18 — trading 15.4% below its estimated fair value. The current Pretax Margin % is -2.50%. Mesa Laboratories' overall GF Score™ is 77/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Pretax Margin % calculated?
Pretax Margin % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Mesa Laboratories (MLAB), the current Pretax Margin % is -2.50% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Mesa Laboratories (MLAB) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Mesa Laboratories stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $98.18 is trading 15.4% below its estimated GF Value™ of $116.05.
GuruFocus considers Mesa Laboratories to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for MLAB:
Pretax Margin %: -2.50%
GF Value™: $116.05 vs. price of $98.18 (15.4% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the MLAB stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Mesa Laboratories Inc manufactures life sciences tools and critical quality control solutions. It operates in four divisions: i) Sterilization and Disinfection Control, which manufactures and sells biological, chemical, and cleaning indicators used to assess the effectiveness of sterilization, decontamination, disinfection, and cleaning processes. ii) Clinical Genomics division develops, manufactures, and sells sensitive, low-cost, high-throughput genetic analysis tools and related consumables. iii) The Biopharmaceutical Development division develops, manufactures, and sells automated systems for protein analysis (immunoassays) and peptide synthesis solutions. iv) The Calibration Solutions division develops, manufactures, sells, and services quality control products.
77GF Score
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