Latest news with #Colo
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Should You Continue to Hold EXAS Sciences Stock in Your Portfolio?
Exact Sciences Corporation's EXAS efforts to further promote its flagship Cologuard as the standard of care are encouraging. The company plans to transform cancer care by providing patients with valuable insights at every step of their diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, it continues to invest in a pipeline of innovative solutions for every stage of cancer diagnosis. However, unfavorable solvency and mounting costs from macroeconomic pressures raise concerns for EXAS' operations. In the past year, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has rallied 23.5% against the 17.1% fall of the industry and the S&P 500 Composite's gain of 11.3%. The globally renowned medical device company boasts a market capitalization of $10.34 billion. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 29.3% compared with the industry's 21.4%. Additionally, the company's earnings surpassed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and fell short in another, delivering an average surprise of 48.8%. Strategic Priority Bodes Well: Exact Sciences is pushing Cologuard as the CRC screening benchmark, backed by 16 million test uses over the past decade. In the first quarter of 2025, screening revenues increased 14%, led by broad-based Cologuard growth. Continued success in rescreens, care gap programs and growth in new ordering providers fuels this momentum. Exact Sciences is investing in the leadership team, training and sales force efficiency, as well as simplifying the electronic ordering process to further drive growth. Rescreening patients every three years from age 45 is also expected to contribute. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Meanwhile, the robust international adoption of Oncotype DX led to 4% year-over-year growth in Precision Oncology revenues. The test, included in all major breast cancer treatment guidelines, helps early-stage breast cancer patients by evaluating the need for chemotherapy and recurrence risk. With about 70% of the eligible patients outside the United States not currently being tested, there still remains a substantial opportunity to grow. Enhancing Customer Experience: The company is currently working to build the best digital infrastructure and diagnostics. This vision has two main elements: first, enabling patients to take a more proactive role in their care. Second, it makes it easy for physicians to order tests, interpret results and personalize medicine by applying real-world evidence and guideline recommendations. The combined strength of Exact Nexus, the company's proprietary technology platform, and EXAS' commercial capabilities is leading to more patients completing Cologuard every three years, supporting the company's goal of making screening a routine practice and also closing the screening gap. The company has identified more than 100 opportunities with payers and health systems to address the care gaps with Cologuard through large, organized screening programs. Advancing New Solutions: In late March 2025, the company launched Cologuard Plus, the most accurate non-invasive CRC screening test reported in studies so far. The test rapidly secured Medicare coverage, pricing and quality measure guideline inclusion. With its enhanced specificity, Cologuard Plus is expected to reduce unnecessary follow-up colonoscopies by up to 40% compared to the original Cologuard test. Subsequent to the quarter's end, Exact Sciences marked another highly anticipated launch with its Oncodetect MRD test. Introduced as a laboratory-developed test (LDT), the company expects to obtain Medicare reimbursement through the Molecular Diagnostic Services Program in the second quarter of 2025. Furthermore, the Cancerguard MCED test is on track to be launched as an LDT later this year. The company is also making headway with its blood-based colon cancer screening test, with top-line results from the pivotal BLUE-C study expected by mid-2025. Strong Solvency but Highly Leveraged: Exact Sciences exited the first quarter of 2025 with cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $786 million and zero current debt. However, the company's significant indebtedness is a concern. Long-term debt of $2.32 billion was almost consistent with the fourth-quarter levels. Escalating Costs: Exact Sciences' business has been affected by global macroeconomic conditions. Disruptions in the United States, Europe or other economies, whether from geopolitical tensions or changing international trade policies, could disrupt global markets, interrupt global supply chains and lead to inflationary or recessionary effects on the worldwide economy. In addition, the high-interest rate environment and limited access to capital markets could strain the company's suppliers, distributors and key business partners, making it difficult for them to remain in business. All these are creating significant pressure on its profitability as well. In the past 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Exact Sciences' loss for 2025 went from 61 cents to 14 cents in the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's 2025 revenues suggests a 12.4% year-over-year improvement to $3.10 billion. Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Phibro Animal Health PAHC, Hims & Hers Health HIMS and Cencora COR. Phibro Animal Health has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 26% compared with the industry's 15.7%. Its earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 30.6%. Its shares have rallied 37.7% compared with the industry's 10.7% growth in the past year. PAHC sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Hims & Hers Health, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2, has an earnings yield of 1.3% against the industry's 11.9% yield. Shares of the company have surged 151.7% compared with the industry's 32.5% gain. HIMS' earnings surpassed estimates in two of the trailing four quarters, matched on one occasion and missed on another, the average surprise being 2.8%. Cencora, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present, has an earnings yield of 5.4% compared with the industry's 4.1%. Shares of the company have rallied 25.8% against the industry's 22.4% fall. COR's earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 6%. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Cencora, Inc. (COR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Phibro Animal Health Corporation (PAHC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Exact Sciences Corporation (EXAS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (HIMS) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Axios
09-05-2025
- General
- Axios
A Columbus Zoo gorilla expert's take on the "1 gorilla vs. 100 men" debate
The internet's latest obsession is a wild hypothetical: 100 unarmed men versus one gorilla, who wins? Why it matters: It probably doesn't, but nothing brings people together like a wacky online debate. So we asked the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's expert to weigh in. The big picture: Gorillas live in African rainforests and are the largest primates on Earth. A silverback, a group's dominant male, tops out around 450 pounds. But they're "gentle giants," making the scenario of a fight even more unimaginable, zoo vice president of animal care and conservation Jan Ramer tells Axios. "They'll shove and punch or make a big display if their family is threatened, but we'd do the same," says Ramer, a gorilla keeper for many years who worked in Africa with the Gorilla Doctors conservation group. Case in point: There has never been a documented instance of a gorilla killing a human. Reality check: Gorillas don't fight people, they fight for their survival. All four gorilla species are endangered (three critically) due to habitat loss, disease and poaching. That means if you decided to challenge one, there would be serious consequences. Yes, but: The International Union for Conservation of Nature downlisted mountain gorillas from critically endangered to endangered in 2018 due to increasing numbers. "That's thanks to the great efforts of over 100 good humans," Ramer says, including the zoo's ongoing support of conservation efforts in Africa. So, back to the original question: Who would win? Well, it depends on the competition. What they're saying: "If it's a chess match, the human wins. If it's surviving alone in a forest for 10 years, the gorilla wins. If it's tug-of-war, I think the 100 men are probably going to win," Ramer says. "Pure strength? One-on-one, the gorilla is going to win, hands down." But a gorilla being so outnumbered makes the hypothetical a little more complicated. The bottom line: "Instead of 100 men versus a gorilla, let's talk about how much 100 men could do to help a gorilla continue to thrive in its natural habitat," Ramer suggests. Colo's legacy at the Columbus Zoo The Columbus Zoo has quite a reputation in the zoological world for its gorilla care. Flashback: The zoo was home to the first gorilla born in captivity, the world-famous Colo, in 1956. She was born prematurely at about 4 pounds and spent time in an incubator from a local hospital. Keepers hand-raised her "as we would a human baby," per news stories at the time, including dressing her in diapers and clothes and feeding her baby formula. (Today, they prioritize a more natural approach.) Colo died in 2017 at age 60, after making history again as the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time. The latest: Today, Colo has a long lineage living in Columbus and zoos across the country: three children, 14 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren, per zoo records.
USA Today
23-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
U.S. Center for SafeSport chief Ju'Riese Colón ousted
Ju'Riese Colón has been ousted as the chief executive officer of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the organization announced in a statement Tuesday night. Colón's departure comes as SafeSport faces persistent questions and criticism from members of Congress, including about the center's hiring of former investigator Jason Krasley, who is now facing sexual assault-related charges stemming from incidents from his time as a police officer in Pennsylvania. SafeSport, which was created in 2017 and is tasked with investigating allegations of abuse in Olympic and Paralympic sports, said board chair April Holmes will lead the organization on an interim basis as it searches for a new CEO. "We are grateful for Ju'Riese's leadership and service," Holmes said in a statement. "As we look ahead, we will continue to focus on the Center's core mission of changing sport culture to keep athletes safe from abuse. The board is committed to Center employees, stakeholders, and most importantly athletes." Colón was just the second CEO in SafeSport's history and had served in the role since 2019. Congress created SafeSport following high-profile sexual abuse scandals in several sports, including gymnastics and taekwondo. It was intended to be an efficient, fair way to handle abuse complaints at all levels of the Olympic and Paralympic movement, from those involving Olympic-level athletes or coaches to those in youth sports. In the roughly eight years since, however, the center has faced consistent criticism on a variety of fronts. There have been complaints about the lengthy delays in the resolution of some cases, and jurisdictional issues that routinely leave national governing bodies in the dark. The center has also been criticized for its high rate of administrative closures, which occur when SafeSport either decides there's insufficient evidence to support an allegation or the victim chooses not to participate in the investigation. As CEO, Colón often acknowledged SafeSport's shortcomings and spoke about the various ways the center was working to improve its policies and procedures. But time and again, members of Congress have appeared unconvinced by the center's claims of progress or have been concerned about its actions in specific cases. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was the most recent member of Congress to speak out, requesting additional information from Colón about Krasley, the former SafeSport investigator. Krasley was fired in November after being arrested for allegedly stealing drug money during a police raid in 2019, prior to his time with SafeSport. He has since been charged with multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to sexual assault. "Accusations of rape and other sex crimes against any SafeSport investigator are especially concerning given SafeSport's mandate to protect athletes from similar abuse," Grassley wrote. Contact Tom Schad at tschad@ or on social media @
