Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) PT Raised to $155.00 at Mizuho

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) had its price target lifted by analysts at Mizuho from $150.00 to $155.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Mizuho’s price target suggests a potential upside of 13.35% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on DGX. TheStreet downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. SVB Leerink initiated coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 26th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Barclays initiated coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $145.08.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 5.1 %

Shares of DGX opened at $136.74 on Wednesday. Quest Diagnostics has a 52-week low of $119.59 and a 52-week high of $148.62. The business’s fifty day moving average is $128.50 and its 200-day moving average is $131.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market cap of $15.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.91.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical research company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 9.23%. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.98 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.64, for a total value of $316,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,067,904.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total value of $83,378.54. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,071,584.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.64, for a total value of $316,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 16,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,067,904.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,150 shares of company stock valued at $1,913,202 in the last ninety days. 0.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 218 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic information services, such as routine, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services.