Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $185.73.

DGX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Citigroup cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 2,555 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $434,350.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,797,750. This represents a 19.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total value of $153,579.28. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,471,127.84. This trade represents a 9.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,633 shares of company stock valued at $8,914,433 in the last 90 days. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 157.3% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the first quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of DGX stock traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $173.07. The stock had a trading volume of 1,612,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 994,037. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.51, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52. Quest Diagnostics has a one year low of $135.47 and a one year high of $179.99. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $170.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $164.66.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. Equities analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. Quest Diagnostics's payout ratio is presently 40.46%.

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.