Legal & General Group Plc Sells 40,221 Shares of Qiagen N.V. $QGEN

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc reduced its Qiagen stake by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 40,221 shares and still holding about 1.4 million shares worth roughly $63.6 million.
• Analyst sentiment on Qiagen remains mixed: recent price targets cluster around the high $30s to $40s, and MarketBeat shows an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $44.98 target price.
• Qiagen recently cut its 2026 growth outlook after missing Q1 expectations, and the stock is also facing added uncertainty from an investor investigation by Pomerantz LLP.

Legal & General Group Plc lessened its stake in Qiagen N.V. (NYSE:QGEN - Free Report) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,396,187 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,221 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.66% of Qiagen worth $63,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Qiagen in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Qiagen by 1,383.3% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 890 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Qiagen by 279.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Qiagen by 23.2% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,358 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Qiagen in the third quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Institutional investors own 70.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on QGEN shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $36.00 target price on Qiagen and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Barclays set a $38.00 target price on Qiagen and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered Qiagen from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Qiagen in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Qiagen in a report on Monday, May 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $44.98.

Qiagen News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Qiagen this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qiagen announced new research-use-only digital PCR assays to support Bundibugyo ebolavirus research and surveillance, highlighting continued product innovation and demand for its QIAcuity platform. QIAGEN Supports Infectious Disease Research and Surveillance Efforts for Bundibugyo Ebolavirus Outbreak
• Positive Sentiment: One analysis said Qiagen’s margins, cash flow and debt-free balance sheet could help stabilize the investment case despite the weaker outlook, suggesting the company still has financial flexibility. Is QGEN Stock a Hold After the 2026 Outlook Cut and Q1 Miss?
• Neutral Sentiment: Another recent note outlined Qiagen’s 2026 growth drivers, including new launches, automation via Connect, and QIAstat-Dx menu expansion, but also acknowledged choppy demand conditions. QIAGEN Business Breakdown and Growth Drivers for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several future EPS estimates for Qiagen, but maintained a Hold rating, signaling caution rather than a major change in sentiment. Qiagen N.V. research updates
• Negative Sentiment: Qiagen cut its 2026 growth outlook after missing Q1 expectations, which is the main reason investors are selling the stock today. Is QGEN Stock a Hold After the 2026 Outlook Cut and Q1 Miss?
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP launched an investor investigation into Qiagen, adding legal overhang and potentially increasing uncertainty for shareholders. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Qiagen N.V. - QGEN

Qiagen Stock Performance

Shares of Qiagen stock opened at $36.62 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $37.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.64. Qiagen N.V. has a 12 month low of $32.53 and a 12 month high of $57.81. The company has a current ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54. The business had revenue of $492.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.15 million. Qiagen had a return on equity of 14.40% and a net margin of 19.16%.During the same period last year, the company posted $0.56 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Qiagen N.V. will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Qiagen Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a yield of 104.0%. This is an increase from Qiagen's previous annual dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 7th. Qiagen's dividend payout ratio is 18.32%.

Qiagen Company Profile

Qiagen NV NYSE: QGEN is a global provider of sample and assay technologies designed to enable molecular testing in the fields of molecular diagnostics, applied testing, academic research and pharmaceutical development. The company's solutions span the full workflow of nucleic acid and protein analysis, offering customers standardized kits, instruments and software tools that streamline the preparation, detection and quantification of DNA, RNA and proteins.

The company's product portfolio includes nucleic acid extraction and purification systems, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reagents and instrumentation, digital PCR platforms, next-generation sequencing (NGS) library‐preparation kits and proteomics solutions.

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