Barclays PLC Acquires 231,578 Shares of Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX)

Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX - Free Report) by 47.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 718,231 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 231,578 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.31% of Hologic worth $58,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HOLX. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Hologic by 0.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in 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 period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings 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. Empirical Finance LLC increased its position in Hologic by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,473 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Hologic by 3.7% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,519 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.73% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hologic news, COO Essex D. Mitchell sold 24,856 shares of the firm'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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.75% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HOLX. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Hologic from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Hologic from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Hologic from $90.00 to $87.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Hologic from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Hologic in a report on Tuesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.50.

Hologic Price Performance

Shares of Hologic stock traded down $1.44 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $73.65. The company had a trading volume of 2,553,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,626,827. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.56. Hologic, Inc. has a 1-year low of $70.24 and a 1-year high of $84.67. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market capitalization of $16.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.96.

Hologic (NASDAQ:HOLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01. Hologic had a net margin of 19.59% and a return on equity of 19.79%. The company had revenue of $987.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $978.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hologic, Inc. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current 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.