Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Qiagen from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Qiagen from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Baird R W downgraded shares of Qiagen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Qiagen from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $48.42.

Qiagen Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of QGEN stock traded up $0.11 on Thursday, reaching $42.91. 74,638 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,142,700. The stock has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 119.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.67. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $41.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.82. Qiagen has a 1-year low of $37.63 and a 1-year high of $49.30.

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.05. Qiagen had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 13.92%. The firm had revenue of $483.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $465.66 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Qiagen will post 2.26 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qiagen

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of QGEN. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in Qiagen by 8,074.0% during the fourth quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 31,817,740 shares of the company's stock worth $1,416,844,000 after acquiring an additional 32,216,761 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Qiagen by 3,030.9% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,470,728 shares of the company's stock worth $179,501,000 after purchasing an additional 4,327,934 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Qiagen during the 4th quarter worth about $181,529,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Qiagen by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,438,441 shares of the company's stock worth $972,191,000 after purchasing an additional 2,656,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Qiagen by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 25,319,332 shares of the company's stock worth $1,127,470,000 after acquiring an additional 2,202,040 shares in the last quarter. 70.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.