HighTower Advisors LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX)

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) by 26.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,568 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,035 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hologic were worth $1,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HOLX. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in Hologic by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,131 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Hologic by 36.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC increased its position in shares of Hologic by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 8,348 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $602,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in shares of Hologic by 29.3% in the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 808 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 94.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hologic Price Performance

HOLX stock opened at $60.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $13.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $65.70 and its 200 day moving average is $73.66. Hologic, Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.34 and a 52 week high of $84.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a current ratio of 3.49.

Hologic (NASDAQ:HOLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.03 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts predict that Hologic, Inc. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Hologic from $84.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Leerink Partnrs lowered Hologic from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Hologic in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Hologic from $76.00 to $73.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Hologic in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hologic has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.62.

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.