Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,060,000 shares, a decrease of 18.0% from the December 15th total of 3,730,000 shares. Currently, 1.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 864,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Qiagen Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:QGEN traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, reaching $46.00. 1,180,187 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 658,189. Qiagen has a 52-week low of $39.03 and a 52-week high of $47.44. The stock has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 117.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $44.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.17.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on QGEN shares. HSBC lowered Qiagen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $49.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $48.00 target price (down from $50.00) on shares of Qiagen in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 price target (up from $42.00) on shares of Qiagen in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Qiagen to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.50.

Institutional Trading of Qiagen

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Qiagen by 39.8% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Qiagen by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lifted its stake in Qiagen by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 5,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of Qiagen by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 25,636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,155,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in shares of Qiagen by 6.0% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 7,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $348,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the period. 70.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.