Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) Reaches New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $37.63 and last traded at $37.85, with a volume of 862875 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.22.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $52.50 target price (up previously from $40.83) on shares of Qiagen in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Qiagen from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Baird R W lowered shares of Qiagen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Qiagen from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $52.00 to $42.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $46.67 price objective (down previously from $48.61) on shares of Qiagen in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $47.71.

Qiagen Stock Down 0.3 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.66. The company has a quick ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 3.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 110.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.44.

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Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.01. Qiagen had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 13.92%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Qiagen will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qiagen

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Qiagen during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Qiagen by 41.5% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 856 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Qiagen by 152.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 871 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 526 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Qiagen in the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Qiagen by 148.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. 70.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Qiagen

QIAGEN NV is a holding company, which engages in the provision of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. The company sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA, and proteins from blood, tissue, and other materials.