Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 9,105 Shares of Exact Sciences Corporation $EXAS

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in Exact Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ:EXAS) by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 111,450 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 9,105 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Exact Sciences were worth $5,922,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Korea Investment CORP increased its position in shares of Exact Sciences by 289.4% during the first quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 113,966 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,934,000 after acquiring an additional 84,700 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in Exact Sciences by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 348,239 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $15,067,000 after purchasing an additional 6,137 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Exact Sciences by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,403,872 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $277,225,000 after purchasing an additional 643,631 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Exact Sciences by 31.6% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 18,747 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 4,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exact Sciences by 979.9% in the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 9,903 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 8,986 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director James Edward Doyle sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 57,962 shares in the company, valued at $3,477,720. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jacob A. Orville sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $375,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,742,775. This represents a 17.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,858 shares of company stock worth $695,289. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Exact Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EXAS opened at $101.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.44. Exact Sciences Corporation has a 1 year low of $38.81 and a 1 year high of $102.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.29 billion, a PE ratio of -19.14, a P/E/G ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $81.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.79.

Exact Sciences (NASDAQ:EXAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The medical research company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.11. Exact Sciences had a positive return on equity of 1.67% and a negative net margin of 32.01%.The company had revenue of $850.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $810.42 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.21) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Exact Sciences Corporation will post -0.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup downgraded Exact Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Leerink Partnrs lowered shares of Exact Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $105.00 price target (up previously from $77.00) on shares of Exact Sciences in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Exact Sciences from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Exact Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.00.

Exact Sciences Profile

Exact Sciences Corporation is a molecular diagnostics company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, dedicated to the early detection and prevention of cancer. The company’s flagship product, Cologuard®, is a noninvasive, stool-based DNA screening test for colorectal cancer that was developed in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic. By combining DNA mutation analysis with hemoglobin detection, Cologuard aims to improve screening adherence and identify cancers and precancerous lesions in average-risk adults.

Since its founding in 1995, Exact Sciences has expanded its portfolio through strategic acquisitions and internal research and development.