Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $43.80, but opened at $42.11. Qiagen shares last traded at $42.14, with a volume of 192,178 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on QGEN. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Qiagen to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $46.67 price objective (down previously from $48.61) on shares of Qiagen in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Qiagen from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $52.50 target price (up from $40.83) on shares of Qiagen in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Qiagen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $47.64 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.84.

Qiagen Trading Down 2.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.17. The company has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 115.09, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $43.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.25.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.01. Qiagen had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 13.97%. Research analysts predict that Qiagen will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qiagen

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Qiagen by 806.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Qiagen by 41.5% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Qiagen during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position 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 last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Qiagen by 83.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 712 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.