Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $180.00 to $190.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the medical research company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective indicates a potential upside of 7.37% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts also recently commented on DGX. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $182.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:DGX traded up $1.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $176.96. The stock had a trading volume of 1,309,977 shares, compared to its average volume of 973,327. The business's 50 day moving average is $169.70 and its 200-day moving average is $162.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $19.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.01, a P/E/G 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 $179.32.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.06. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quest Diagnostics news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total transaction of $6,602,115.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 127,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,499,370.58. The trade was a 23.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 604 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.99, for a total value of $103,277.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 39,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,813,096.55. The trade was a 1.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 54,250 shares of company stock worth $9,188,295. Insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of DGX. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $355,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 980.3% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 24,198 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 21,958 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Clean Yield Group increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 26,428 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,987,000 after buying an additional 3,983 shares during the period. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $10,345,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.