Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 411,607 Shares of GeneDx Holdings Corp. $WGS

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in GeneDx Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:WGS) by 60.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,092,988 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 411,607 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in GeneDx were worth $142,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. ARK Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GeneDx in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,157,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of GeneDx by 340.4% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 59,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,424,000 after purchasing an additional 46,085 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of GeneDx by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 381,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,647,000 after purchasing an additional 89,470 shares in the last quarter. Telemark Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GeneDx in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,929,000. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of GeneDx in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,387,000. Institutional investors own 61.72% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other GeneDx news, Director Keith A. Meister bought 46,273 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $38.91 per share, with a total value of $1,800,482.43. Following the acquisition, the director owned 4,784,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $186,167,618.70. The trade was a 0.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Casdin Capital, Llc purchased 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $52.86 per share, with a total value of $2,643,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,707,164 shares in the company, valued at $195,960,689.04. This trade represents a 1.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 2,256,420 shares of company stock valued at $93,144,340 and have sold 72,382 shares valued at $4,889,473. 29.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WGS has been the subject of a number of research reports. BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of GeneDx from $170.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of GeneDx and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of GeneDx from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 target price (down from $160.00) on shares of GeneDx in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $150.00 target price on shares of GeneDx in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.43.

GeneDx Price Performance

WGS opened at $54.32 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $55.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 2.95 and a current ratio of 3.09. GeneDx Holdings Corp. has a 52 week low of $32.21 and a 52 week high of $170.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a PE ratio of -20.27 and a beta of 1.96.

GeneDx (NASDAQ:WGS) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The company reported ($0.28) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.22). GeneDx had a positive return on equity of 9.15% and a negative net margin of 17.58%.The business had revenue of $102.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $112.46 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.23) EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that GeneDx Holdings Corp. will post -1 earnings per share for the current year.

GeneDx News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting GeneDx this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Casdin Capital, a director-linked investor, disclosed another sizable insider purchase of GeneDx shares, adding to a recent pattern of buying that may signal confidence in the company’s longer-term outlook. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Earlier insider buying by Casdin Capital at prices above and near current trading levels may help reassure investors that some insiders view the stock as undervalued after the recent drawdown. SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed but still constructive overall, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a price target well above recent trading levels, which may provide some support over time.
• Negative Sentiment: GeneDx is facing a growing stack of class-action notices and investor-rights campaigns, creating a legal overhang that can weigh on sentiment and raise uncertainty for shareholders. Article reference
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuits center on allegations that the company hid deteriorating reimbursement rates and margin compression, while the stock’s prior plunge after Q1 results remains a major concern for investors. Article reference

GeneDx Company Profile

GeneDx is a clinical diagnostics company specializing in comprehensive genetic and genomic testing for rare and inherited disorders. The company offers a broad portfolio of assays, including targeted gene panels, whole exome sequencing, whole genome sequencing and chromosomal microarray analysis. GeneDx’s laboratory services support the diagnosis of a wide range of conditions—from rare pediatric diseases and hereditary cancer syndromes to neuromuscular and metabolic disorders—by providing clinicians with detailed variant interpretation and reporting.

Founded in 2000 and based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, GeneDx was established with the aim of accelerating the translation of genomic discoveries into clinical care.