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

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on HOLX shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Hologic in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Citigroup cut shares of Hologic from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Hologic from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Hologic in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Hologic from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Essex D. Mitchell sold 24,856 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.34, for a total transaction of $1,897,507.04. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 27,957 shares in the company, valued at $2,134,237.38. The trade was a 47.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hologic

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HOLX. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. increased its position in Hologic by 0.3% during the third quarter. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. now owns 48,696 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,967,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Hologic by 23.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 692 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hologic by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 484 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in shares of Hologic by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,131 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC grew its position in Hologic by 1.8% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,473 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $690,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. 94.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hologic Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HOLX opened at $69.73 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $15.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.94, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50 day moving average of $74.84 and a 200 day moving average of $78.41. Hologic has a twelve month low of $68.61 and a twelve month high of $84.67. The company has a quick ratio of 3.03, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Hologic (NASDAQ:HOLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.01 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 return on equity of 19.79% and a net margin of 19.59%. Hologic’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Hologic will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.