QuidelOrtho (NASDAQ:QDEL) Hits New 12-Month Low After Earnings Miss

Key Points

• QuidelOrtho hit a new 52-week low after reporting a quarterly loss of ($0.04) EPS vs. a $0.37 consensus and revenue of $619.8M (vs. $665.2M expected), with revenue down ~10.5% year‑over‑year and the stock trading as low as $10.21.
• The company set FY2026 guidance at $1.80–$2.00 EPS (below the street ~$2.17) and reported a ~34% decline in point‑of‑care revenue to $113M, highlighting guidance‑driven re‑rating risk and seasonal headwinds to near‑term results.
• Analyst sentiment has turned negative (consensus rating: “Reduce”, consensus price target $28.25) amid multiple downgrades, even as insiders (CEO and CFO) bought shares in February at ~ $23.6, modestly increasing insider ownership.

QuidelOrtho Corporation (NASDAQ:QDEL - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as low as $10.21 and last traded at $10.9450, with a volume of 400795 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.66.

The company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $619.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $665.23 million. QuidelOrtho had a positive return on equity of 5.91% and a negative net margin of 41.46%.QuidelOrtho's revenue for the quarter was down 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.74 EPS. QuidelOrtho has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.800-2.000 EPS.

Trending Headlines about QuidelOrtho

Here are the key news stories impacting QuidelOrtho this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company highlighted the acquisition of LEX Diagnostics as a strategic move to accelerate growth in point-of-care molecular diagnostics, which could boost future revenue diversification and margins. QuidelOrtho Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated key product launches in U.S. and international markets that it expects to drive growth beyond the current respiratory cycle, offering a potential multi-quarter revenue tailwind. QuidelOrtho Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and slides are available for investors to review management’s detail on seasonality, margin dynamics and integration plans (useful for modeling but not an immediate catalyst). Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 EPS missed materially — reported (0.04) vs. consensus $0.37, down from $0.74 a year ago; this earnings shortfall pressures near-term valuation and expectations. QuidelOrtho (QDEL) Reports Q1 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations: $619.8M vs. consensus ~$665M, down ~10.5% year-over-year — weaker top-line growth increases short-term downside risk. QuidelOrtho NASDAQ: QDEL Misses Q1 CY2026 Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance was set at $1.80–$2.00, below the street (~$2.17), creating a guidance-driven re-rating risk even though revenue guidance was roughly in line. QuidelOrtho Earnings & Guidance Update
• Negative Sentiment: Point-of-care revenue fell ~34% to $113M due to a significantly weaker respiratory season — this seasonal volatility is a recurring risk for near-term results. QuidelOrtho Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on QDEL. Wall Street Zen cut shares of QuidelOrtho from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of QuidelOrtho from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of QuidelOrtho from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of QuidelOrtho in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of QuidelOrtho from $30.00 to $17.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $28.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at QuidelOrtho

In other news, CFO Joseph M. Busky acquired 3,370 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $23.66 per share, for a total transaction of $79,734.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at $243,461.40. The trade was a 48.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian J. Blaser acquired 10,540 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $23.59 per share, for a total transaction of $248,638.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $945,322.07. This trade represents a 35.69% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 23,910 shares of company stock worth $567,973. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On QuidelOrtho

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of QDEL. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of QuidelOrtho by 98.6% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 463,223 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,642,000 after buying an additional 229,938 shares during the period. Ballast Asset Management LP increased its position in shares of QuidelOrtho by 217.7% during the third quarter. Ballast Asset Management LP now owns 80,019 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,357,000 after buying an additional 54,829 shares during the period. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC increased its position in shares of QuidelOrtho by 62.4% during the third quarter. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC now owns 382,389 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,261,000 after buying an additional 146,956 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of QuidelOrtho by 10.4% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,115,557 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,303,000 after buying an additional 199,909 shares during the period. Finally, Gagnon Securities LLC increased its position in shares of QuidelOrtho by 68.1% during the third quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 122,499 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,608,000 after buying an additional 49,622 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.00% of the company's stock.

QuidelOrtho Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The firm's 50-day moving average is $16.58 and its 200-day moving average is $23.82. The company has a market cap of $768.17 million, a PE ratio of -0.67 and a beta of 0.75.

About QuidelOrtho

QuidelOrtho is a global diagnostics company formed through the merger of Quidel Corporation and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. The combined entity develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of rapid and high-throughput diagnostic solutions across immunoassay, molecular diagnostics and transfusion medicine. Its offerings span point-of-care platforms for acute care testing as well as large-scale automated systems designed for clinical laboratories and blood banks.

The company's product range includes rapid antigen and antibody tests for infectious diseases, molecular assays utilizing nucleic acid amplification technology, and integrated immunodiagnostic analyzers.

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