Exact Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ:EXAS) Receives $87.06 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Exact Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ:EXAS) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-four analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twenty have issued a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $89.5556.

EXAS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler downgraded Exact Sciences from an “overweight” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $105.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, November 24th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $105.00 target price (up previously from $80.00) on shares of Exact Sciences in a research note on Friday, November 28th. BTIG Research downgraded Exact Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Exact Sciences in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Exact Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brian Baranick sold 2,858 shares of Exact Sciences stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.08, for a total transaction of $200,288.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,368 shares in the company, valued at $1,567,549.44. The trade was a 11.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jacob A. Orville sold 5,000 shares of Exact Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total transaction of $375,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,742,775. This trade represents a 17.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exact Sciences

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Exact Sciences by 21.5% in the fourth quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,274 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $434,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Exact Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Exact Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Register Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Exact Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $302,000. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Exact Sciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $239,000. 88.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Exact Sciences Stock Down 0.1%

EXAS stock opened at $102.37 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -19.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.40. Exact Sciences has a 52-week low of $38.81 and a 52-week high of $102.66. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $99.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.86.

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

Exact Sciences Company 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.