Key Points
- Director Matthew Strobeck bought 10,000 shares of QuidelOrtho on Feb. 13 at an average $23.96, raising his stake to 27,775 shares — a 56.26% increase (transaction disclosed in an SEC Form 4).
- Insider buying extended to the CEO and CFO, but while QuidelOrtho beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.46 vs $0.43; revenue $723.6M), the company issued light FY2026 guidance and reported margin compression, creating a mixed investor outlook.
QuidelOrtho Corporation (NASDAQ:QDEL - Get Free Report) CFO Joseph Busky acquired 3,370 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.66 per share, with a total value of $79,734.20. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 10,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $243,461.40. This trade represents a 48.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.
QuidelOrtho Price Performance
NASDAQ:QDEL opened at $23.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.42 and a beta of 0.68. QuidelOrtho Corporation has a 1 year low of $19.50 and a 1 year high of $42.50.
QuidelOrtho (NASDAQ:QDEL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.03. QuidelOrtho had a negative net margin of 41.46% and a positive return on equity of 5.91%. The business had revenue of $723.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $699.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that QuidelOrtho Corporation will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On QuidelOrtho
A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of QuidelOrtho by 3,691.7% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 910 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in QuidelOrtho during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in QuidelOrtho by 100.6% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 989 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in QuidelOrtho by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,082 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of QuidelOrtho by 2,460.9% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,178 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.00% of the company's stock.
Key Headlines Impacting QuidelOrtho
Here are the key news stories impacting QuidelOrtho this week:
- Positive Sentiment: CEO Brian Blaser purchased 10,540 shares (~$23.59 avg), increasing his stake by ~35.7% — a strong insider vote of confidence from the CEO. CEO Form 4
- Positive Sentiment: Director Matthew Strobeck bought 10,000 shares (~$23.96 avg), increasing his stake substantially — another internal signal supporting management’s view of value. Director Form 4
- Positive Sentiment: CFO Joseph Busky also bought 3,370 shares (~$23.66 avg), a meaningful increase in his ownership. Insider buys from multiple officers can signal confidence in longer-term prospects. CFO Form 4
- Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: EPS $0.46 vs. $0.43 and revenue $723.6M vs. $699.8M — top-line strength was driven by Labs and global growth. This is supportive but not enough to offset other headwinds. Zacks: Q4 Earnings Beat
- Neutral Sentiment: Company outlined a 2026 revenue target of $2.7B–$2.9B and emphasized R&D pipeline progress — positive for long-term growth, but investors are focused on near-term profitability and execution. Seeking Alpha: 2026 Revenue Target
- Negative Sentiment: FY2026 guidance came in light: EPS $2.00–$2.42 vs. consensus ~ $2.49 and revenue guidance $2.7B–$2.9B vs. ~$2.8B consensus — the EPS range disappointed investors and likely drove most of the selling pressure. AAII: Why QDEL Is Down
- Negative Sentiment: Margins compressed in Q4 and management cited respiratory weakness weighing on profitability — margin recovery is central to meeting upside expectations and was highlighted in negative market commentary. Yahoo: Q4 Deep Dive
- Negative Sentiment: Planned retirement of the CFO was announced (timing/succession details matter); leadership changes in finance can create near-term uncertainty until a successor is named. TipRanks: CFO Retirement
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group set a $30.00 price objective on shares of QuidelOrtho in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup upped 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of QuidelOrtho from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of QuidelOrtho in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of QuidelOrtho from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, QuidelOrtho presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $31.50.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on QuidelOrtho
QuidelOrtho Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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