Certara (NASDAQ:CERT) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Certara, Inc. (NASDAQ:CERT) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $12.33, but opened at $13.08. Certara shares last traded at $12.41, with a volume of 191,824 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CERT. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Certara from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of Certara in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Certara in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Certara from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Certara in a report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.64.

Certara Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -63.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.29 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.63.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Certara

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Certara during the fourth quarter worth approximately $17,852,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Certara by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 263,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,807,000 after purchasing an additional 37,870 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Certara by 269.3% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 275,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,935,000 after purchasing an additional 201,003 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of Certara by 62.7% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 94,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 36,386 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in shares of Certara by 35.7% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 87,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 23,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Certara Company Profile

Certara, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides software products and technology-enabled services to customers for biosimulation in drug discovery, preclinical and clinical research, regulatory submissions, and market access in the United States and internationally. It offers solutions for model-informed drug development, as well as biosimulation solution used to predict both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.