Commonwealth Equity Services eliminated its stake in Alere Inc (NYSE:ALR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm previously had a 4,751 share stake in the company, valued at approximately $181,583. Commonwealth Equity Services was fully divested from the company by the time it had filed its quarterly disclosure.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ALR. USS Investment Management boosted its position in shares of Alere by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. USS Investment Management now owns 1,705,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,669,000 after buying an additional 408,094 shares in the last quarter. Fox Run Management bought a new position in shares of Alere during the fourth quarter valued at $274,000. Quantitative Systematic Strategies bought a new position in shares of Alere during the fourth quarter valued at $305,000. Manning & Napier Advisors boosted its position in shares of Alere by 178.9% in the fourth quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors now owns 1,481,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,916,000 after buying an additional 950,366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Alere by 1,642.7% in the third quarter. Janus Capital Management now owns 155,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,468,000 after buying an additional 146,200 shares in the last quarter.

Shares of Alere Inc (NYSE:ALR) opened at 38.22 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $3.30 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10. Alere Inc has a 12 month low of $31.96 and a 12 month high of $55.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $38.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.90.

Alere (NYSE:ALR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $602 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $646.29 million. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Alere Inc will post $2.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ALR has been the topic of several recent research reports. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Alere in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Zacks Investment Research cut Alere from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 11th. Goldman Sachs lowered their target price on Alere from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 22nd. Wedbush boosted their target price on Alere from $38.00 to $41.00 in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Leerink Swann boosted their target price on Alere from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $51.00.

In related news, SVP Robert Bernard Hargadon bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $38.99 per share, with a total value of $38,990.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president now owns 8,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,788.57. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO James F. Hinrichs bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.97 per share, with a total value of $399,700.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,199,100. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here.

Alere Inc. is a provider of health information through diagnostic tests. The Company operates through professional diagnostics, patient self-testing, consumer diagnostics and, corporate and other segments. The professional diagnostics segment includes an array of diagnostic test products and other in vitro diagnostic tests marketed to medical professionals and laboratories for detection of diseases and conditions within its areas of focus. The patient-self testing segment provides services designed to provide physicians with actionable data that allow them to make decisions in real time, deliver care, and put the individuals they treat on a pathway to better health. The consumer diagnostics segment consists primarily of manufacturing operations related to its role as the exclusive manufacturer of products for SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics (NYSE:ALR), its 50/50 joint venture with The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G).

12 Month Chart for NYSE:ALR

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