Teacher Retirement System of Texas Decreases Stock Holdings in Veracyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:VCYT)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its stake in Veracyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:VCYT - Free Report) by 49.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,938 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 33,036 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Veracyte were worth $1,006,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in Veracyte by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 6,599,264 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $261,331,000 after buying an additional 1,576,432 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Veracyte by 768.9% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 956,577 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $37,880,000 after buying an additional 846,487 shares during the period. Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its position in Veracyte by 226.8% during the fourth quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,183,766 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $46,877,000 after buying an additional 821,554 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Veracyte during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $20,717,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Veracyte by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,211,612 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $325,180,000 after buying an additional 463,098 shares during the period.

Veracyte Price Performance

Shares of VCYT stock traded down $0.95 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $24.22. The company had a trading volume of 820,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 917,433. Veracyte, Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.73 and a 52-week high of $47.32. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $27.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.96. The company has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.07 and a beta of 2.07.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on VCYT shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Veracyte from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 28th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Veracyte in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Guggenheim lowered their price target on shares of Veracyte from $45.00 to $37.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Veracyte from $51.00 to $41.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Veracyte from $49.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Veracyte presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.90.

Veracyte Profile

Veracyte, Inc engages in the research, development and commercialization of diagnostic products. The firm's portfolio includes Afirma, Percepta, and Envisia. It intends to treat thyroid cancer, improve lung cancer screening, and clarify the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The company was founded by Bonnie H.