Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $185.73.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Mizuho boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $195.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total transaction of $153,579.28. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,471,127.84. The trade was a 9.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total value of $6,602,115.86. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 127,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,499,370.58. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 42,620 shares of company stock worth $7,190,045. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% in the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 157.3% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 11,100.0% in the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 224 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

NYSE:DGX opened at $179.31 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $174.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $166.29. Quest Diagnostics has a 52-week low of $135.47 and a 52-week high of $182.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.49.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.06. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 8.81%. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Quest Diagnostics's payout ratio is 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.

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