First Trust Advisors LP Sells 2,413,872 Shares of Hologic, Inc. $HOLX

First Trust Advisors LP cut its holdings in shares of Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) by 83.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 479,225 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,413,872 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.22% of Hologic worth $31,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in Hologic during the second quarter worth $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Hologic by 193.6% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 414 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in Hologic during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of Hologic in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hologic by 307.0% during the second quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 578 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the period. 94.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Christiana Stamoulis sold 7,402 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.07, for a total value of $540,864.14. Following the transaction, the director owned 47,336 shares in the company, valued at $3,458,841.52. The trade was a 13.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen P. Macmillan sold 138,358 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.97, for a total transaction of $9,265,835.26. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,234,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,682,769.28. The trade was a 10.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hologic Price Performance

HOLX stock opened at $74.83 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 3.75 and a quick ratio of 3.06. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.11. Hologic, Inc. has a one year low of $51.90 and a one year high of $77.32. The stock has a market cap of $16.68 billion, a PE ratio of 30.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.70.

Hologic (NASDAQ:HOLX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The medical equipment provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.03. Hologic had a net margin of 13.80% and a return on equity of 20.13%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.01 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Hologic, Inc. will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HOLX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Mizuho lowered Hologic from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hologic in a research report on Friday, October 31st. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Hologic from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $79.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Hologic from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their price target on Hologic from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hologic currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $79.29.

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.