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Quidel Corporation(QDEL)

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ADVISORIES YOU CAN VERIFY
QUALITY SIGNAL
1-STAR RATING
PASS
LAST CLOSE
$10.62
09/18/2026
(24-hour delay)

Advisory History & Simulated Performance *

*as per simulation (see disclosures)
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Advisory Performance History (Simulated)Advisory Performance History info

Upturn Advisory & Investor View for QDEL

09/18/2026: QDEL (1-star) is currently NOT-A-BUY. Pass it for now.

How to Read the Upturn Advisory

The Upturn Star Rating and the current BUY, SELL, or PASS advisory are generated by Upturn’s AI advisory engine based on proprietary signal analysis, price behavior, advisory history, and historical signal performance.

Company fundamentals, valuation, risks, and news provide supporting context about the business.

Price Behavior

Steep Decline
PRICE PATH

Steep Decline

The stock price has dropped sharply with strong downward pressure.

Extreme Price Shocks
PRICE STABILITY

Extreme Price Shocks

The stock has experienced exceptionally large and disruptive price movements during the period.

Analysis of Past Performance

Type Stock
Historic Profit -26.39%
Avg. Invested days 33
Today’s Advisory PASS
Upturn Advisory Rating upturn star rating icon
Upturn Advisory Performance Upturn Advisory Performance icon 1.0
Stock Returns Performance Upturn Returns Performance icon 1.0
Upturn Profits based on simulation icon Profits based on simulation
Upturn last close icon Last Close 09/18/2026

Upturn Scorecard

Upturn Star Rating

QDEL receives a 3-star rating, supported by solid analyst coverage. The rating is constrained by weak unit economics, and weak price momentum.

Company Fundamentals

QDEL has moderate overall fundamentals (3 stars), with soft financial health, solid growth momentum, and solid ownership. In FY2025 versus FY2024, strong earnings growth (+44.8%) is partially offset by soft cash generation (FCF margin -3.0%), slightly negative revenue growth (-1.9%), soft profitability (net margin -41.5%).

Financial Health Rating

QDEL's financial health is supported by moderate liquidity, including working-capital and asset support (WC/assets 8.3%). Profitability is soft (2 stars), which helps explain the 2-star overall score.

Growth Momentum Score

Earnings growth is QDEL's strongest growth driver at +44.8% FY2025 versus FY2024 (strong, 5 stars). By comparison, free-cash-flow growth (+26.0%, solid) is also solid, while revenue growth (-1.9%, slightly negative) holds the profile back, so recent growth is not broad-based across the business.

Ownership

Institutional ownership is 124.2% and approximately 89.2% of outstanding shares are publicly tradable, supporting liquidity and institutional participation. Insider ownership is only 0.89%, which materially reduces the ownership score.

Top 5 Institutional Investors

BlackRock Inc 15.24%
FMR Inc 9.61%
T. Rowe Price Investment Management,Inc. 8.21%
Newtyn Management LLC 6.65%
Vanguard Portfolio Management, LLC 5.88%

Unit Economics (Per $1K Revenue)

QDEL generates approximately $467 of gross profit, $-337 of operating income, and $-30 of free cash flow for every $1,000 of revenue. Based on FY2025 results. Strong cash conversion and healthy margins support the rating, although capital efficiency remains below the highest tier.

Economic Dimensions

Effective Tax Rate: -2.18% (Tax Credit)

Quantitative Style Profile

QDEL has a liquid, relatively low-volatility profile. Weak momentum is the primary drawback, while valuation that is moderately attractive rather than deeply discounted.

Style Classification

Quality Focused

Low VolatilitySmall / Mid Cap RiskShort Squeeze RiskHighly Liquid / Institution-Friendly

Key Highlights

Company Size Small-Cap Stock
Market Capitalization 728.27M USD
Price to earnings Ratio -
1Y Target Price 14.67
Price to earnings Ratio -
1Y Target Price 14.67
Volume (30-day avg) 1.6M shares
Beta 0.68
52 Weeks Range 9.92 - 35.58
Updated Date 09/20/2026
52 Weeks Range 9.92 - 35.58
Updated Date 09/20/2026
Dividends yield (FY) -
Basic EPS (TTM) -15.43

Analyzing Revenue: Products, Geography and Growth

Revenue by Products

Product revenue - Year on Year

Revenue by Geography

Geography revenue - Year on Year

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Valuation

Trailing PE -
Forward PE 9.59
Enterprise Value 3.68B
Price to Sales(TTM) 0.27
Enterprise Value 3.68B
Price to Sales(TTM) 0.27
Enterprise Value to Revenue 1.38
Enterprise Value to EBITDA 22.78
Shares Outstanding 68.58M
Shares Floating 61.17M
Shares Outstanding 68.58M
Shares Floating 61.17M
Percent Insiders 0.89
Percent Institutions 124.17

Financial Metrics

🧭 Investment Snapshot

Total Revenue (Scale)

Information icon Total money earned from selling products or services before any costs. It is needed to understand the scale of the business and its ability to generate income.

Net Income (Profit)

Information icon Final profit after all expenses, interest, and taxes are deducted. It is needed to determine the overall profitability available to shareholders.

Free Cash Flow (Cash Strength)

Information icon Cash remaining after operating activities and capital expenditures, showing cash available for growth. It is needed to evaluate the company’s ability to invest, pay dividends, or reduce debt.

📈 Growth & Strength

Operating Income (Core Profit)

Information icon Profit from core operations after deducting all operating expenses. It is needed to measure how efficiently the company runs its primary business activities.

EBITDA (Cash Earnings)

Information icon Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, indicating operating cash potential. It is needed to compare operating performance across companies without accounting or financing differences.

Gross Profit (Unit Profitability)

Information icon Revenue minus cost of revenue, showing profit after direct production costs. It is needed to evaluate core business profitability before overhead expenses.

🛡️ Financial Safety

Cash (Liquidity Buffer)

Information icon Total cash and cash equivalents on hand. It is needed to evaluate immediate liquidity and financial flexibility.

Total Debt (Leverage Risk)

Information icon Total debt including both short-term and long-term components. It is needed to assess the company’s leverage and financial risk.

Net Working Capital (Short-Term Health)

Information icon Current assets minus current liabilities, indicating short-term liquidity strength. It is needed to assess whether the company can meet its short-term obligations.

🧱 Balance Sheet Strength

Stockholder Equity (Net Worth)

Information icon Total equity value held by shareholders. It is needed to understand the net worth of the company from the owners’ perspective.

Total Assets (Asset Base)

Information icon The full value of everything the company owns, including cash, inventory, equipment, and investments. It is needed to understand the resource base used to generate revenue.

Income Before Tax (Pre-Tax Earnings)

Information icon Income before provision for income taxes. It is needed to analyze profitability independent of tax structures.

⚙️ Cost & Drag Factors

Cost of Revenue (Production Cost)

Information icon Direct costs required to produce and deliver the products or services sold. It is needed to assess efficiency in production and service delivery.

Total Operating Expenses (Operating Cost)

Information icon Indirect costs of running the business such as salaries, marketing, and administration. It is needed to understand how much it costs to sustain ongoing business operations.

Income Tax Expense (Tax Drag)

Information icon Amount of taxes paid or payable to the government. It is needed to evaluate the impact of taxation on overall profitability.

About Quidel Corporation

Exchange NASDAQ
Headquarters San Diego, CA, United States
IPO Launch date 1991-02-01
President, CEO & Director Mr. Brian J. Blaser
Sector Healthcare
Industry Medical Devices
Full time employees 6500
Full time employees 6500

QuidelOrtho Corporation provides diagnostic testing solutions. The company operates through Labs, Transfusion Medicine, Point of Care, and Molecular Diagnostics business units. The Labs business unit provides clinical chemistry laboratory instruments and tests that measure target chemicals in bodily fluids for the evaluation of health and the clinical management of patients; immunoassay laboratory instruments and tests, to measure proteins as they act as antigens in the spread of disease, antibodies in the immune response spurred by disease, or markers of proper organ function and health; testing to detect and monitor disease progression across a spectrum of therapeutic areas; and specialized diagnostic solutions. The Transfusion Medicine business unit offers immunohematology instruments and tests used for blood typing to ensure patient-donor compatibility in blood transfusions; and donor screening instruments and tests used for blood and plasma screening for infectious diseases. The Point of Care business unit provides instruments and tests to provide rapid results across a continuum of POC settings. The Molecular Diagnostics business unit offers polymerase chain reaction thermocyclers; amplification systems; and sample-to-result molecular instruments and tests for syndromic infectious disease diagnostics. The company sells its products directly to end users through a direct sales force; and through a network of distributors for professional use in physician offices, hospitals, clinical laboratories, reference laboratories, urgent care clinics, universities, retail clinics, pharmacies, wellness screening centers, blood banks, and donor centers, as well as for individual, non-professional, and over-the-counter use. It operates in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, Japan and Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.