QuidelOrtho (NASDAQ:QDEL) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

QuidelOrtho (NASDAQ:QDEL) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 2.000-2.420 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.490. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.7 billion-$2.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.8 billion.

QuidelOrtho Trading Down 10.3%

QuidelOrtho stock traded down $2.96 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $25.84. The stock had a trading volume of 1,100,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,012,461. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a PE ratio of -1.52 and a beta of 0.68. QuidelOrtho has a 12 month low of $19.50 and a 12 month high of $43.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.75.

QuidelOrtho (NASDAQ:QDEL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.03. QuidelOrtho had a negative net margin of 42.53% and a positive return on equity of 5.75%. The company 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 company posted $0.63 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that QuidelOrtho will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

QDEL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of QuidelOrtho in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research raised QuidelOrtho from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on QuidelOrtho from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on QuidelOrtho from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of QuidelOrtho in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.00.

Insider Transactions at QuidelOrtho

In other news, CEO Brian J. Blaser acquired 23,500 shares of QuidelOrtho stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $21.34 per share, with a total value of $501,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 29,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $630,234.22. This represents a 389.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Joseph M. Busky acquired 4,770 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $26.06 per share, with a total value of $124,306.20. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 6,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $180,335.20. This represents a 221.86% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 29,390 shares of company stock valued at $657,340. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

More QuidelOrtho News

Here are the key news stories impacting QuidelOrtho this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management set a FY2026 revenue target of $2.7B–$2.9B and reiterated R&D progress and margin-expansion goals, signaling a path to higher adjusted margins and stronger free cash flow next year. QuidelOrtho outlines $2.7B–$2.9B 2026 revenue target
• Positive Sentiment: Reported Q4 revenue of $723.6M — slightly above consensus — and management highlighted lab and TRIAGE growth plus adjusted EBITDA margin expansion year-over-year. QuidelOrtho Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Insiders (including CEO) bought shares in recent months, which some investors view as a confidence signal from management. QuiverQuant Q4 earnings summary
• Neutral Sentiment: The revenue guidance range ($2.7B–$2.9B) sits roughly around Street estimates (~$2.8B), so top-line risk is mixed rather than clearly negative. QuidelOrtho guidance note
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call/transcript and slide deck are available for investors wanting details on product performance, margin drivers and cadence to guidance. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance of $2.00–$2.42 came in below the Street (~$2.49), creating an earnings shortfall that is the main near-term catalyst for the decline in the stock. (Company guidance entry)
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP profitability showed weakness: QuidelOrtho reported large GAAP losses on some metrics (reported net loss / negative net margin noted by third?party summaries), which contrasts with the adjusted results and raises concerns about near-term margins and leverage. QuiverQuant Q4 GAAP vs adjusted summary
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment is mixed-to-cautious (recent Underweight from a large bank and a wide range of price targets), so analyst coverage may amplify downside if guidance concerns persist. Analyst commentary and price targets

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of QDEL. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in QuidelOrtho by 3,691.7% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of QuidelOrtho by 322.2% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,015 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of QuidelOrtho by 298.1% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 2,471 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its holdings in QuidelOrtho by 230.5% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 3,155 shares during the last quarter. 99.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.