Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target Raised to $182.00

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) had its price target upped by Truist Financial from $172.00 to $182.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the medical research company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on DGX. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley raised Quest Diagnostics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $172.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America raised their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.00.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE DGX opened at $162.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $18.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.88, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Quest Diagnostics has a 12-month low of $123.04 and a 12-month high of $167.08. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $155.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.66.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.25% and a net margin of 8.82%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics will post 8.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.32%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total transaction of $2,889,207.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 34,941 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,661.05. This trade represents a 34.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

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.