QuidelOrtho (NASDAQ:QDEL) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• QuidelOrtho updated its FY2026 guidance to EPS $1.80–$2.00 and revenue $2.7–$2.8 billion, with the EPS range below the Wall Street consensus of $2.17 while revenue is in line with estimates.
• Shares slid to $11.66 on heavy volume after the company posted a quarterly EPS miss (‑$0.04 vs. $0.37 consensus) and reported a negative net margin of 41.46%, underscoring ongoing profitability pressure despite a market cap around $794 million.
• Insiders (including the CEO and a director) bought shares recently, but analyst sentiment is mixed-to-negative—MarketBeat shows a consensus "Reduce" rating with a $28.25 target—and institutional ownership is very high at 99.00%.

QuidelOrtho (NASDAQ:QDEL - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 1.800-2.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.170. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.7 billion-$2.8 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.7 billion.

QuidelOrtho Price Performance

QuidelOrtho stock traded down $0.76 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $11.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,182,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,769,482. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $794.05 million, a P/E ratio of -0.70 and a beta of 0.75. QuidelOrtho has a twelve month low of $10.86 and a twelve month high of $38.99. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $16.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.93.

QuidelOrtho (NASDAQ:QDEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.41). QuidelOrtho had a positive return on equity of 5.91% and a negative net margin of 41.46%.QuidelOrtho has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.800-2.000 EPS. Research analysts forecast that QuidelOrtho will post 2.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

QDEL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of QuidelOrtho from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of QuidelOrtho from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of QuidelOrtho from $30.00 to $17.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of QuidelOrtho in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $28.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Matthew Strobeck acquired 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $23.96 per share, for a total transaction of $239,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 27,775 shares in the company, valued at $665,489. This trade represents a 56.26% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian J. Blaser bought 10,540 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.59 per share, for a total transaction of $248,638.60. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 40,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $945,322.07. This trade represents a 35.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought 23,910 shares of company stock worth $567,973 in the last quarter. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of QuidelOrtho

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of QDEL. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in QuidelOrtho by 1,218.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 80,193 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,803,000 after buying an additional 74,112 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in QuidelOrtho by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 228,398 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,987,000 after buying an additional 21,968 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of QuidelOrtho by 210.9% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 20,454 shares of the company's stock valued at $715,000 after acquiring an additional 13,876 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of QuidelOrtho in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,313,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in QuidelOrtho by 250.7% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the company's stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 2,309 shares during the last quarter. 99.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

QuidelOrtho Company Profile

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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