Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) Sets New 1-Year Low After Analyst Downgrade

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low on Monday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $50.00 to $48.00. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Qiagen traded as low as $39.63 and last traded at $39.97, with a volume of 363374 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $41.34.

QGEN has been the topic of several other reports. HSBC downgraded shares of Qiagen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $47.64 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $52.50 price objective (up previously from $40.83) on shares of Qiagen in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Hsbc Global Res raised Qiagen to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $46.67 price target (down previously from $48.61) on shares of Qiagen in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $48.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qiagen

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Qiagen by 41.5% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 856 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Qiagen by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,792 shares of the company's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its position in Qiagen by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 5,291 shares of the company's stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in Qiagen by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 25,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,155,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in Qiagen by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 9,816 shares of the company's stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. 70.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Qiagen Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $43.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 109.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.36.

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.01. Qiagen had a return on equity of 13.97% and a net margin of 4.23%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Qiagen will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Qiagen Company Profile

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.