Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $40.02, but opened at $41.44. Qiagen shares last traded at $40.31, with a volume of 389,458 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on QGEN shares. 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 report on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of Qiagen from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $52.00 to $42.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Qiagen from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Baird R W lowered shares of Qiagen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $46.67 price objective (down from $48.61) on shares of Qiagen in a report on Monday, January 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Qiagen presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.71.

Qiagen Stock Up 0.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $8.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 111.52, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.04. The company has a current ratio of 3.61, a quick ratio of 3.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qiagen

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QGEN. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Qiagen in the fourth quarter valued at about $202,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Qiagen during the 4th quarter worth approximately $95,746,000. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Qiagen in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $221,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Qiagen during the fourth quarter worth $216,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Qiagen by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 492,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,922,000 after acquiring an additional 30,989 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.