Exact Sciences Corporation EXAS

Competitive advantage analysis · healthcare

Medical Devices & Diagnostics
Overall moat score
62/100
Moderate

About Exact Sciences Corporation

Exact Sciences Corporation provides cancer screening and diagnostic test products in the United States and internationally. It offers Cologuard, a non-invasive stool-based DNA screening test to detect DNA and hemoglobin biomarkers associated with colorectal cancer and pre-cancer; Cologuard Plus Tests; Cancerguard Test; and Genetic Testing. The company also provides Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score Test; Oncotype DX Breast DCIS Score … Full EXAS analysis →

Competitive advantage assessment

Key strengths

  • Elite Gross Margins Gross margin quality is top-tier vs peers (score 0.86). This signals strong consumable attach-rate economics.
  • Strong FCF Generation FCF margin quality is top-tier vs peers (score 0.72). High FCF conversion confirms strong earnings quality.

Key risks

  • Elevated Leverage Leverage is elevated vs peers (score 0.10). High net debt/EBITDA limits the balance sheet's acquisition firepower.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power & Consumable Moat

Strong
81

Where EXAS ranks in Diagnostics & Research

Exact Sciences Corporation ranks #15 of 62 scored companies in Diagnostics & Research by moat score — the top 24%. The widest moat in the group is IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (IDXX) at 78/100.

Moat scores for companies ranked near EXAS in Diagnostics & Research
# Company Moat score Rating
11 Revvity, Inc. RVTY 68/100 Moderate
12 Medpace Holdings, Inc. MEDP 68/100 Moderate
13 IQVIA Holdings, Inc. IQV 65/100 Moderate
14 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated DGX 63/100 Moderate
15 Exact Sciences Corporation EXAS 62/100 Moderate
16 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc TMO 62/100 Moderate
17 GeneDx Holdings Corp. WGS 61/100 Moderate
18 CareDx, Inc. CDNA 61/100 Moderate
19 Burning Rock Biotech Limited BNR 60/100 Moderate

See every Medical Devices & Diagnostics company ranked by moat score →

How EXAS scores on the Medical Devices & Diagnostics defenses

Pricing Power & Consumable Moat

Score 81 · 25% of the moat score

In MedTech, pricing power is rarely about the machine — it is about what the machine consumes.

R&D Pipeline & Capital Returns

Score 58 · 20% of the moat score

Research spending is how a device company keeps its installed base current, but spending alone proves nothing.

FCF Quality & Cash Conversion

Score 64 · 20% of the moat score

MedTech companies grow by acquisition, and the resulting intangible amortisation depresses reported earnings without consuming any cash.

Commercial Execution

Score 51 · 15% of the moat score

Devices are sold into hospitals and labs through committees, tenders and long qualification cycles, which makes the sales organisation expensive and hard to replicate.

Capital Structure & Resilience

Score 33 · 12% of the moat score

Serial acquirers carry debt, and the question is whether the cash flows underneath it are dependable enough to service it through a downturn.

Growth Durability

Score 69 · 8% of the moat score

Growth durability separates an expanding installed base from a good product cycle.

How each Medical Devices & Diagnostics defense is measured, in full →

Understanding EXAS's moat

What is Exact Sciences Corporation's moat score?

Exact Sciences Corporation (EXAS) scores 62 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #15 of 62 scored companies in Diagnostics & Research, the top 24%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 61 companies in Diagnostics & Research. Its strongest defense is Pricing Power & Consumable Moat (81/100) and its weakest is Capital Structure & Resilience (33/100).

How does Exact Sciences Corporation compare with other Diagnostics & Research companies?

Exact Sciences Corporation ranks #15 of 62 scored companies in Diagnostics & Research by moat score. The widest moat in Diagnostics & Research is IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (IDXX) at 78/100. The companies ranked closest are Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (DGX) at 63 just above it and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (TMO) at 62 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Medical Devices & Diagnostics in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 61 companies in Diagnostics & Research. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is Exact Sciences Corporation scored with the Medical Devices & Diagnostics template?

Medical device and diagnostics companies place an instrument once and then sell the consumables, reagents and service that instrument needs for the next decade. The economics are a razor-and-blade model wrapped in regulatory approval and clinician habit, so the MedTech template scores the durability of that installed base rather than the size of any single product launch.

Which competitive defenses are measured for Exact Sciences Corporation?

The Medical Devices & Diagnostics template measures 6 defenses, and EXAS scores: Pricing Power & Consumable Moat (81), R&D Pipeline & Capital Returns (58), FCF Quality & Cash Conversion (64), Commercial Execution (51), Capital Structure & Resilience (33), Growth Durability (69). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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