Certara, Inc. $CERT Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management cut its Certara stake by 69.1% in the first quarter, selling 302,533 shares and retaining 135,234 shares worth approximately $771,000.
• Certara’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations: revenue declined 10.8% year over year to $93.27 million, while EPS came in at $0.08 versus the $0.09 consensus estimate.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $8.95; Certara shares recently traded at $8.01, while institutional investors collectively own 73.96% of the company.

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Certara, Inc. (NASDAQ:CERT - Free Report) by 69.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 135,234 shares of the company's stock after selling 302,533 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Certara worth $771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Certara by 50.7% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,491 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,175 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Certara by 11.7% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,362 shares of the company's stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,295 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in shares of Certara by 2.9% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 56,628 shares of the company's stock valued at $663,000 after purchasing an additional 1,597 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Certara by 7.4% during the third quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 30,608 shares of the company's stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Certara by 6.7% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 45,708 shares of the company's stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 2,859 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Certara Trading Up 2.7%

NASDAQ:CERT opened at $8.01 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $6.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.80 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.55. Certara, Inc. has a 1 year low of $4.45 and a 1 year high of $13.88.

Certara (NASDAQ:CERT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.01). Certara had a positive return on equity of 3.86% and a negative net margin of 16.75%.The company had revenue of $93.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $98.09 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.07 earnings per share. Certara's revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Certara, Inc. will post 0.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CERT shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Certara from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Certara in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Craig Hallum lowered their target price on shares of Certara from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Certara from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Certara from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $8.95.

Certara News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Certara this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Certara completed its previously authorized $100 million share-repurchase program, and its board approved an additional $50 million for buybacks. The expanded repurchase authorization may support earnings per share and signal management confidence in the stock. Certara Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its 2026 revenue guidance. The earnings discussion also highlighted relative strength in Certara’s software business, which helped offset pressure in its services operations. Certara Earnings Call: Software Strength Amid Services Strain
• Neutral Sentiment: Certara appointed Julien Perrier as chief commercial officer, representing a leadership transition in a role important to sales execution and growth. The longer-term effect will depend on whether the change improves commercial momentum. Certara Announces Leadership Change in Commercial Executive Role
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue was $93.27 million, below the $98.09 million consensus and down 10.8% year over year. Adjusted earnings of $0.08 per share also missed estimates of approximately $0.09 to $0.10, although EPS improved from $0.07 a year earlier. Certara Q2 Earnings and Revenues Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target from $6.50 to $7.50 but retained an equal-weight rating, implying analysts see limited upside after the recent rebound. Barclinga analyst action

Certara Company Profile

Certara is a biosimulation software and services company that partners with pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device developers to accelerate drug discovery, development and regulatory approval. The company's platform integrates quantitative pharmacology, real-world evidence, artificial intelligence and machine learning to model and simulate drug behavior across a range of therapeutic areas and patient populations. By applying these mechanistic and data-driven approaches, Certara helps its clients predict clinical outcomes, optimize dosing strategies and streamline decision-making throughout the product lifecycle.

The company's offerings are divided into software tools and consulting services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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