Candriam S.C.A. Lowers Stock Position in Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX)

Candriam S.C.A. cut its stake in shares of Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) by 17.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 944,332 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 193,047 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Hologic were worth $68,077,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. General Partner Inc. purchased a new stake in Hologic during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its position in Hologic by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 33,177 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 2,999 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Hologic by 156.3% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 428 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Hologic by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 484 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Hologic by 36.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 590 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. 94.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HOLX shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Hologic from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Leerink Partners cut shares of Hologic from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Hologic from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Leerink Partnrs lowered shares of Hologic from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Hologic from $84.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.62.

Hologic Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HOLX opened at $62.08 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $68.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.64. Hologic, Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.70 and a 52 week high of $84.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 3.49, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Hologic (NASDAQ:HOLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.01. Hologic had a net margin of 18.42% and a return on equity of 19.72%. Analysts anticipate that Hologic, Inc. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Hologic 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.