Qiagen (QGEN) Competitors

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) and Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

Is DHR or QGEN more profitable?

Danaher has a net margin of 14.21% compared to Qiagen's net margin of 4.68%. Qiagen's return on equity of 14.61% beat Danaher's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Danaher	14.21%	10.70%	6.85%
Qiagen	4.68%	14.61%	8.80%

Which has more volatility and risk, DHR or QGEN?

Danaher has a beta of 0.73, suggesting that its share price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Qiagen has a beta of 0.64, suggesting that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media favor DHR or QGEN?

In the previous week, Danaher had 38 more articles in the media than Qiagen. MarketBeat recorded 46 mentions for Danaher and 8 mentions for Qiagen. Danaher's average media sentiment score of 1.35 beat Qiagen's score of 0.86 indicating that Danaher is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Danaher	42 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Qiagen	4 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do institutionals and insiders have more ownership in DHR or QGEN?

79.1% of Danaher shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.0% of Qiagen shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.1% of Danaher shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.0% of Qiagen shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has better earnings and valuation, DHR or QGEN?

Danaher has higher revenue and earnings than Qiagen. Danaher is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Qiagen, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Danaher	$23.88B	5.91	$3.90B	$4.70	41.93
Qiagen	$1.98B	5.61	$83.59M	$0.40	124.75

Do analysts rate DHR or QGEN?

Danaher presently has a consensus price target of $247.61, indicating a potential upside of 25.64%. Qiagen has a consensus price target of $49.40, indicating a potential downside of 1.00%. Given Danaher's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Danaher is more favorable than Qiagen.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Danaher	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	17 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.85
Qiagen	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.30

Is DHR or QGEN a better dividend stock?

Danaher pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Qiagen pays an annual dividend of $0.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Danaher pays out 27.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Qiagen pays out 62.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Danaher has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Danaher is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Danaher beats Qiagen on 16 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.