Quidel Corporation Stock Downgraded (QDEL)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Quidel Corporation (Nasdaq:QDEL) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and increase in net income. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including disappointing return on equity and weak operating cash flow.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The revenue growth came in higher than the industry average of 7.4%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 17.3%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• Although QDEL's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27 is very low, it is currently higher than that of the industry average. To add to this, QDEL has a quick ratio of 2.02, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
• Looking at where the stock is today compared to one year ago, we find that it is not only higher, but it has also clearly outperformed the rise in the S&P 500 over the same period. Although other factors naturally played a role, the company's strong earnings growth was key. Looking ahead, the stock's rise over the last year has already helped drive it to a level which is relatively expensive compared to the rest of its industry, implying reduced upside potential.
• The company's current return on equity has slightly decreased from the same quarter one year prior. This implies a minor weakness in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry and the overall market, QUIDEL CORP's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• Net operating cash flow has significantly decreased to $0.14 million or 78.71% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, when comparing to the industry average, the firm's growth rate is much lower.

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Quidel Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets diagnostic testing solutions for applications in infectious diseases, women's health, and gastrointestinal diseases. The company has a P/E ratio of 78.9, above the average drugs industry P/E ratio of 74.9 and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Quidel has a market cap of $497.5 million and is part of the health care sector and drugs industry. Shares are down 4.3% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

You can view the full Quidel Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.
-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff

For more information on Quidel Corporation click any of the following:

• Quidel Corporation Stock Price

• Quidel Corporation Analyst Ratings

• Quidel Corporation Key Stats & Profile

• Quidel Corporation Earnings

• Quidel Corporation Ratio Comparison

• Quidel Corporation Growth Rates

• Quidel Corporation Balance Sheet

• Quidel Corporation Cash Flow

• Quidel Corporation Income Statement