Citigroup Increases Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target to $145.00

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by stock analysts at Citigroup from $135.00 to $145.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the medical research company's stock. Citigroup's price objective indicates a potential upside of 5.42% from the stock's previous close.

DGX has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $139.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays started coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $146.25.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

NYSE:DGX traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $137.55. 1,566,421 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,064,314. The company has a market capitalization of $15.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.91. Quest Diagnostics has a 1-year low of $119.59 and a 1-year high of $148.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The business has a 50 day moving average of $128.69 and a 200 day moving average of $131.08.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 9.23%. The company's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.04 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total value of $706,312.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,478 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,843,610.64. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other 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 transaction, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total value of $706,312.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,478 shares in the company, valued at $4,843,610.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,150 shares of company stock valued at $1,913,202. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.