Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,930,000 shares, an increase of 5.9% from the January 15th total of 5,600,000 shares. Approximately 2.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,310,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Hologic Stock Performance

Shares of HOLX stock traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $64.47. 2,212,653 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,473,213. The company has a quick ratio of 2.78, a current ratio of 3.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.97. Hologic has a twelve month low of $62.69 and a twelve month high of $84.67. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $69.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.61.

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

Insider Activity

In other Hologic news, COO Essex D. Mitchell sold 24,856 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 27,957 shares in the company, valued at $2,134,237.38. This represents a 47.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hologic

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. General Partner Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hologic during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Hologic by 156.3% during the fourth 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. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Hologic by 38.3% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 484 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its stake in Hologic by 330.2% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 542 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hologic by 79.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 586 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HOLX shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Hologic from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Hologic from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Leerink Partners downgraded Hologic from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $80.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Hologic in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on Hologic from $90.00 to $87.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.77.

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.