Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) Rating Lowered to "Neutral" at Robert W. Baird

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Robert W. Baird from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $42.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $52.00. Robert W. Baird's price objective suggests a potential upside of 6.29% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on QGEN. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $46.67 price target (down previously from $48.61) on shares of Qiagen in a report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $52.50 target price (up previously from $40.83) on shares of Qiagen in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Qiagen from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $47.71.

Qiagen Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of QGEN stock traded up $0.95 on Wednesday, hitting $39.52. 926,360 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,276,551. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 3.09 and a current ratio of 3.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 110.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.36. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $43.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.07. Qiagen has a one year low of $38.49 and a one year high of $49.30.

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.01. Qiagen had a return on equity of 13.92% and a net margin of 4.23%. Equities analysts forecast that Qiagen will post 2.26 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qiagen

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Qiagen in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 526 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Qiagen in the third quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings 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. Institutional investors own 70.00% of the company's stock.

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.