Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Baird R W

Baird R W downgraded shares of Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on QGEN. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Qiagen from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Qiagen from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $52.00 to $42.00 in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reissued 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $52.50 price objective (up from $40.83) on shares of Qiagen in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.71.

Qiagen Price Performance

NYSE QGEN opened at $39.52 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $8.77 billion, a PE ratio of 110.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.36. Qiagen has a 12-month low of $38.49 and a 12-month high of $49.30. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $43.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.04.

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Qiagen will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qiagen

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of QGEN. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in Qiagen in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position 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 lifted its stake in shares of Qiagen by 152.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 526 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Qiagen during the third quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in 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 during the period. 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.