Short Interest in Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) Drops By 18.0%

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,060,000 shares, a decline of 18.0% from the December 31st total of 3,730,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 864,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. HSBC lowered 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. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Qiagen to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $52.50 price target (up previously from $40.83) on shares of Qiagen in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $46.67 price target (down previously from $48.61) on shares of Qiagen in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.07.

Qiagen Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:QGEN traded down $0.79 during trading on Monday, reaching $43.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,225,182 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,119,492. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.17. Qiagen has a 1-year low of $40.15 and a 1-year high of $49.30. The stock has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a PE ratio of 109.31, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $43.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.23.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qiagen

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Qiagen by 806.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 562 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank acquired a new position in Qiagen in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Qiagen by 41.5% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 856 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in Qiagen by 39.8% in the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 853 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Qiagen during the third quarter worth $53,000. 70.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.