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Exact Sciences Corp. (EXAS)
NASDAQ:EXAS

Exact Sciences (EXAS) AI Stock Analysis

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EXAS

Exact Sciences

(NASDAQ:EXAS)

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Neutral 64 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:64Neutral
Price Target:
$111.00
▲(7.49% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:02/22/26
The score is driven primarily by improving fundamentals (stronger cash generation and narrowing losses) and a constructive earnings outlook with raised guidance. Technicals support the trend but appear overbought, while valuation remains pressured due to persistent net losses. The Abbott merger approval is a positive catalyst, tempered by litigation-related uncertainty.
Positive Factors
Improving Cash Generation
Exact Sciences' operating cash flow shifted to strongly positive and free cash flow rose materially, improving during 2024–2025. Durable positive cash generation reduces reliance on external financing, supports reinvestment in R&D and commercialization, and strengthens execution runway despite prior volatility.
High, Stable Gross Margins & Revenue Growth
Consistently high gross margins reflect structural unit economics in molecular screening, while recent double-digit revenue growth shows expanding test volumes and market penetration. Together these factors support durable margin sustainability and scalability as fixed lab costs spread with higher throughput over the medium term.
Product & Market Expansion
Launch of Cancerguard (multi-cancer early detection) and rollout of Cologuard Plus with early top-payer coverage materially expand the addressable market and product mix. Structural product diversification and improving payer access increase long-term revenue optionality and reduce single-product concentration risk.
Negative Factors
Persistent Net Losses and Leverage
Despite cash-flow improvements, the company remains loss-making on a GAAP basis and carries meaningful leverage with debt near equity. This constrains financial flexibility, raises interest and refinancing risk, and limits ability to pursue sizable M&A or sustained heavy R&D without external funding or improved profitability.
Payer Contracting Uncertainty
Incomplete contracting with major payers for Cologuard Plus creates durable revenue uncertainty: limited reimbursement slows adoption, complicates forecastability and can pressure realized margins. Resolution timelines are unclear, so payer rollout remains a gating factor to sustained revenue scale.
Merger & Litigation Execution Risk
Pending acquisition by Abbott faces shareholder litigation and customary closing conditions; legal disputes can delay closing, increase costs, or force disclosures. Execution risk and management distraction could delay strategic initiatives and integration planning, affecting medium-term operational continuity and stakeholder certainty.

Exact Sciences (EXAS) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Exact Sciences Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionExact Sciences Corporation provides cancer screening and diagnostic test products in the United States and internationally. The company offers Cologuard, a non-invasive stool-based DNA screening test to detect DNA and hemoglobin biomarkers associated with colorectal cancer and pre-cancer. It also provides Oncotype DX, a gene expression tests for breast, prostate, and colon cancers; Oncotype Test, a tissue test delivering tumor profiling to aid therapy selection for patients with advanced, metastatic, refractory, or recurrent cancer; Oncotype DX AR-V7 Nucleus Detect Test, a liquid-based test for advanced stage prostate cancer; Oncomap ExTra, that provides a complete biological picture of certain refractory, rare, or aggressive cancers; and Covid-19 testing services. The company's pipeline products focus on enhancing the Cologuard test's performance characteristics and developing blood and other fluid-based tests. It has license agreements with MAYO Foundation for Medical Education and Research; and Hologic, Inc. Exact Sciences Corporation was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.
How the Company Makes MoneyExact Sciences generates revenue primarily through the sale of its diagnostic tests, with Cologuard being the most significant contributor to its earnings. The company operates on a direct-to-consumer model as well as through partnerships with healthcare providers and laboratories. It bills insurance companies and Medicare for the tests performed, which is a key revenue stream. Additionally, Exact Sciences has established strategic partnerships with other healthcare organizations and life sciences companies to expand its reach and enhance its testing portfolio, further driving its revenue growth. The company also invests in research and development to innovate and introduce new products, which can lead to additional revenue opportunities.

Exact Sciences Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Revenue By Segment
Revenue By Segment
Chart Insights
Data provided by:The Fly

Exact Sciences Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Nov 03, 2025
(Q3-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 13, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
Exact Sciences reported strong financial and operational performance with significant revenue growth driven by Cologuard and new product launches. However, there were challenges in maintaining gross margins and completing payer contracts for Cologuard Plus.
Q3-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Record Revenue Growth
Exact Sciences reported a 20% year-over-year increase in total revenue, reaching $851 million, marking the highest quarterly growth rate in over two years.
Cologuard Plus Success
The launch of Cologuard Plus demonstrated 95% sensitivity and 94% specificity, with positive coverage decisions from the top 10 payers, contributing significantly to the revenue growth.
Strong Financial Performance
Adjusted EBITDA grew by 37% year-over-year to $135 million, with margins expanding by 200 basis points to 16%. Free cash flow increased by $77 million to $190 million for the quarter.
Cancerguard Launch
The company launched Cancerguard, a multi-cancer early detection test, aiming to address the low percentage of cancers found through screening.
Precision Oncology Growth
Precision Oncology revenue increased by 12% year-over-year on a core basis to $183 million, driven by Oncotype DX expansion and partner revenues.
Negative Updates
Gross Margin Decline
Non-GAAP gross margins were 71%, down 100 basis points compared to last year, due to record care gap shipments causing temporary timing differences between cost of goods and revenue.
Challenges in Contracting
Ongoing discussions with six of the top 10 payers for contracting Cologuard Plus, with some uncertainty on the timeline for completion.
High R&D Expenses
Increased R&D spending, particularly for clinical evidence generation, impacted the operating expenses, though it supports long-term growth strategies.
Company Guidance
During Exact Sciences' third-quarter 2025 earnings call, the company provided updated guidance, reflecting a strong performance and increased outlook for the year. The company reported a 20% year-over-year revenue growth to $851 million, driven by the success of their Cologuard test, which contributed to a screening revenue increase of 22% to $666 million. The Precision Oncology segment also grew by 12% to $183 million. Adjusted EBITDA rose by 37% to $135 million, with margins expanding by 200 basis points to 16%. The company raised its full-year revenue guidance to between $3.22 billion and $3.235 billion and adjusted EBITDA guidance to between $470 million and $480 million. They highlighted the launch of Cancerguard, a multi-cancer early detection test, and the expansion of patient access to Cologuard Plus, which offers improved sensitivity and specificity. The call emphasized the company's strategic focus on driving commercial effectiveness, leveraging their ExactNexus platform, and building momentum across their product portfolio to achieve long-term growth and meet 2027 financial targets.

Exact Sciences Financial Statement Overview

Summary
High and stable gross margins and a clear improvement in profitability trends, plus strongly positive operating and free cash flow in 2024–2025. Offsetting this, the company remains net loss-making and carries meaningful leverage (debt roughly in line with equity), keeping overall financial risk elevated.
Income Statement
58
Neutral
Revenue has expanded steadily across the period, with 2025 showing strong acceleration (about +5.4% vs. 2024). Gross margins are consistently high and stable (~68–76%), supporting a good underlying business model. The key weakness remains profitability: the company is still loss-making in every year shown, although 2025 marks a major improvement versus 2024 (net loss narrowed sharply and margins improved meaningfully). Overall, the trajectory is improving, but sustained net profitability has not yet been demonstrated.
Balance Sheet
52
Neutral
Leverage is meaningful, with debt roughly in line with equity in the latest year (debt-to-equity ~1.05 in 2025), and it has not consistently trended down over time. Equity has also declined from earlier years (notably from 2021–2023 levels), which reduces balance-sheet flexibility. Total assets are sizeable and relatively stable, but negative returns on equity in recent years highlight that capital is not yet generating positive earnings. Overall: adequate scale, but leverage and ongoing losses keep balance-sheet risk elevated.
Cash Flow
72
Positive
Cash generation has improved materially: operating cash flow turned strongly positive in 2024–2025, and free cash flow is positive with a large step-up in 2025 (free cash flow growth ~44%). Importantly, cash flow quality looks better than reported earnings, with free cash flow remaining positive despite net losses in 2024–2025. The main weakness is historical volatility (negative operating and free cash flow in 2021–2022), suggesting execution and working-capital swings have mattered. Still, the most recent two years show a favorable and strengthening cash-flow profile.
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue3.25B2.76B2.50B2.08B1.77B
Gross Profit2.26B1.92B1.76B1.42B1.31B
EBITDA122.50M-789.33M29.28M-421.11M-649.28M
Net Income-207.95M-1.03B-204.15M-623.51M-595.63M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets5.86B5.93B6.47B6.23B6.68B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments964.71M1.04B777.64M632.06M1.03B
Total Debt2.52B2.75B2.55B2.45B2.38B
Total Liabilities3.46B3.53B3.33B3.18B3.30B
Stockholders Equity2.40B2.40B3.15B3.04B3.39B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow356.78M74.55M31.93M-438.02M-238.00M
Operating Cash Flow491.44M210.54M156.12M-223.56M-102.24M
Investing Cash Flow195.12M-442.15M49.68M74.07M-1.08B
Financing Cash Flow-338.09M231.87M159.77M76.48M8.47M

Exact Sciences Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price103.27
Price Trends
50DMA
102.36
Positive
100DMA
88.80
Positive
200DMA
70.24
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
0.55
Positive
RSI
67.15
Neutral
STOCH
44.01
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For EXAS, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 103.27 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 103.00, above the 50-day MA of 102.36, and above the 200-day MA of 70.24, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.55 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 67.15 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 44.01 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for EXAS.

Exact Sciences Risk Analysis

Exact Sciences disclosed 53 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Exact Sciences reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Exact Sciences Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (51)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
72
Outperform
$10.03B23.7411.57%3.31%5.32%336.29%
64
Neutral
$19.75B-93.49-8.66%14.47%-353.69%
56
Neutral
$990.08M-46.8224.11%14.46%
54
Neutral
$12.51B-28.7430.38%24.17%
53
Neutral
$713.77M-16.81-3.80%13.60%74.64%
52
Neutral
$1.25B-11.64-12.42%10.10%-44.29%
51
Neutral
$7.86B-0.30-43.30%2.27%22.53%-2.21%
* Healthcare Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
EXAS
Exact Sciences
103.27
54.77
112.93%
QGEN
Qiagen
48.62
9.61
24.63%
NEO
NeoGenomics
9.82
-0.58
-5.58%
CDNA
CareDx
18.46
-2.64
-12.51%
FLGT
Fulgent Genetics
23.56
7.32
45.07%
GH
Guardant Health
95.27
52.08
120.58%

Exact Sciences Corporate Events

M&A TransactionsShareholder Meetings
Exact Sciences Shareholders Approve Merger with Abbott Laboratories
Positive
Feb 20, 2026

On February 20, 2026, Exact Sciences stockholders held a special meeting to vote on proposals tied to the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger with Abbott Laboratories, under which Badger Merger Sub I, Inc. would merge with and into Exact, leaving Exact as a wholly owned subsidiary of Abbott. Shareholders representing 67.56% of outstanding shares as of the January 9, 2026 record date were present, and they overwhelmingly approved the merger agreement and the possible adjournment of the meeting to solicit additional proxies, while voting against, on an advisory basis, the proposed merger-related executive compensation, leaving completion of the transaction subject to remaining regulatory and customary closing conditions.

The most recent analyst rating on (EXAS) stock is a Hold with a $105.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Exact Sciences stock, see the EXAS Stock Forecast page.

Legal ProceedingsM&A TransactionsShareholder Meetings
Exact Sciences Faces Shareholder Lawsuits Over Abbott Merger
Negative
Feb 10, 2026

On November 19, 2025, Exact Sciences agreed to be acquired by Abbott Laboratories, with Exact to become a wholly owned Abbott subsidiary following a planned merger. In January 2026, Exact mailed a definitive proxy statement to shareholders outlining the transaction, including a proposed $105 per share all-cash consideration supported by Centerview Partners’ valuation analyses.

By February 10, 2026, three shareholder lawsuits had been filed in New York alleging that the proxy statement contained false or misleading disclosures or omitted material information, and one action also alleged violations of Wisconsin securities law. While Exact denies the claims and maintains that no additional disclosure is legally required, it has issued supplemental financial and valuation details to reduce litigation risk, avoid delays to the Abbott merger and minimize associated costs and uncertainties for stakeholders.

The most recent analyst rating on (EXAS) stock is a Hold with a $105.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Exact Sciences stock, see the EXAS Stock Forecast page.

Executive/Board ChangesM&A TransactionsRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Exact Sciences Approves Executive Bonus Acceleration Amid Abbott Merger
Neutral
Dec 29, 2025

On November 19, 2025, Exact Sciences Corporation agreed to be acquired by Abbott Laboratories through a merger in which Exact will become an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Abbott. To address potential tax implications under Sections 280G and 4999 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code tied to this transaction, Exact’s Human Capital Committee, advised by a Section 280G consultant, approved Acceleration and Clawback Agreements for its active named executive officers on December 23, 2025, accelerating payment of their fiscal 2025 bonuses at 115% of target and the vesting of certain restricted stock units and performance share units at above-target performance levels. The arrangements specify precise bonus amounts and share accelerations for each executive and include clawback provisions requiring repayment if employment terminates under conditions that would have led to forfeiture, as well as potential true-up payments if actual 2025 performance ultimately exceeds the assumed performance levels, aligning executive compensation mechanics with the pending merger structure while managing excise tax exposure for the company and its leadership.

The most recent analyst rating on (EXAS) stock is a Buy with a $111.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Exact Sciences stock, see the EXAS Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Feb 22, 2026