Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) Short Interest Update

Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,510,000 shares, a growth of 6.4% from the December 15th total of 5,180,000 shares. Currently, 2.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,910,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Hologic Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ HOLX traded down $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $69.73. 6,395,054 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,046,611. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 3.03 and a current ratio of 3.69. The company has a market capitalization of $15.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50-day moving average is $74.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.41. Hologic has a one year low of $68.61 and a one year high of $84.67.

Hologic (NASDAQ:HOLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.01. The company had revenue of $987.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $978.25 million. Hologic had a net margin of 19.59% and a return on equity of 19.79%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Hologic will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Essex D. Mitchell sold 24,856 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.34, for a total value of $1,897,507.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 27,957 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,134,237.38. This trade represents a 47.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hologic

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hologic in the fourth quarter worth $4,832,000. Clean Yield Group lifted its position in Hologic by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 45,646 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,291,000 after buying an additional 7,266 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Hologic by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,832 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 582 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of Hologic by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 28,776 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,344,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Hologic in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,677,000. 94.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HOLX has been the subject of several research reports. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Hologic in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Leerink Partners lowered their price objective on Hologic from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hologic from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Hologic from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Hologic from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.92.

Hologic Company Profile

Hologic, Inc develops, manufactures, and supplies diagnostics products, medical imaging systems, and surgical products for women's health through early detection and treatment. The company operates through four segments: Diagnostics, Breast Health, GYN Surgical, and Skeletal Health. It provides Aptima molecular diagnostic assays to detect the infectious microorganisms; Aptima viral load assays for Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and human cytomegalo virus; Aptima bacterial vaginosis and candida vaginitis assays for the diagnosis of vaginitis; Aptima SARS-CoV-2 and Panther Fusion SARS-CoV-2 assays to detect SARS-CoV-2; ThinPrep System for cytology applications; and Rapid Fetal Fibronectin Test that assists physicians in assessing the risk of pre-term birth.