Qiagen N.V. (NYSE:QGEN) Shares Acquired by Prudential PLC

Key Points

• Prudential PLC increased its stake in QIAGEN N.V. by 132.5%, acquiring a total of 47,166 shares, valued at approximately $1.86 million at the quarter's end.
• Several institutional investors have also increased their holdings in QIAGEN, with 70% of the company's stock owned by institutions and hedge funds.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on QIAGEN, with a consensus target price of $49.69, as analysts expect the company to generate earnings of $2.26 per share this year.

Prudential PLC increased its position in shares of Qiagen N.V. (NYSE:QGEN - Free Report) by 132.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,166 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 26,880 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in Qiagen were worth $1,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Qiagen by 57.5% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,491,131 shares of the company's stock worth $180,319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,639,621 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its position in Qiagen by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 4,002,489 shares of the company's stock worth $178,231,000 after purchasing an additional 64,575 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Qiagen by 4.7% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,445,641 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,605,000 after acquiring an additional 109,481 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Qiagen during the fourth quarter valued at about $95,746,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Qiagen by 138.1% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,428,940 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,701,000 after acquiring an additional 828,688 shares during the last quarter. 70.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Qiagen Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE QGEN traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $49.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 893,019 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,557,618. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $48.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.35. Qiagen N.V. has a 1 year low of $37.63 and a 1 year high of $51.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.64.

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60. Qiagen had a net margin of 18.30% and a return on equity of 14.77%. The company had revenue of $533.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $523.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Qiagen N.V. will post 2.26 EPS for the current year.

Qiagen Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 3rd were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a yield of 52.0%. Qiagen's payout ratio is currently 14.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

QGEN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Qiagen in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Qiagen from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Qiagen in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Qiagen from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Qiagen from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $49.69.

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.