Exact Sciences (NASDAQ:EXAS) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Exact Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ:EXAS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $102.66 and last traded at $101.82, with a volume of 6091148 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $101.38.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EXAS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $105.00 target price (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Exact Sciences in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Benchmark cut Exact Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Exact Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $105.00 target price (up previously from $77.00) on shares of Exact Sciences in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of Exact Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.00.

Exact Sciences Trading Up 0.4%

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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $80.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.47. The company has a market capitalization of $19.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -19.14, a PEG ratio of 12.54 and a beta of 1.42.

Exact Sciences (NASDAQ:EXAS) last posted its earnings results 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 positive return on equity of 1.67% and a negative net margin of 32.01%.The firm had revenue of $850.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $810.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.21) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Exact Sciences Corporation will post -0.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exact Sciences

In other news, EVP Brian Baranick sold 2,858 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.08, for a total value of $200,288.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,368 shares in the company, valued at $1,567,549.44. This represents a 11.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jacob A. Orville sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total transaction of $375,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,742,775. This represents a 17.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,858 shares of company stock valued at $695,289. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Exact Sciences

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Exact Sciences by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 542 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Exact Sciences by 951.8% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 589 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Country Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of Exact Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Exact Sciences by 1,980.6% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 645 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Exact Sciences during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 88.82% of the company’s stock.

About Exact Sciences

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.