Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) Short Interest Up 6.4% in January

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HOLX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Hologic from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Hologic to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Hologic from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Leerink Partners cut their price target on shares of Hologic from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hologic in a report on Monday, January 13th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.92.

Hologic Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of Hologic stock opened at $71.72 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 3.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.03. The firm has a market cap of $16.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.98. Hologic has a 52-week low of $68.61 and a 52-week high of $84.67.

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

Insider Transactions at Hologic

In other Hologic news, COO Essex D. Mitchell sold 24,856 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.34, for a total transaction of $1,897,507.04. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 27,957 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,134,237.38. This represents a 47.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hologic

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Investment Counsel Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Hologic by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc now owns 5,724 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Hologic by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 214,233 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $15,444,000 after purchasing an additional 16,262 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Hologic by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 17,931 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,293,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Hologic by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,175 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Hologic by 156.3% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 428 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. 94.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hologic

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.