Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target Raised to $200.00 at Piper Sandler

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler from $180.00 to $200.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the medical research company's stock. Piper Sandler's price objective suggests a potential upside of 12.75% from the stock's current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Eight research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.07.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.5 %

DGX traded down $0.83 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $177.39. 857,292 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 963,008. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $169.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $161.79. Quest Diagnostics has a 1-year low of $135.27 and a 1-year high of $179.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion for 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 535 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.71, for a total value of $90,794.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 71,356 shares in the company, valued at $12,109,826.76. This trade represents a 0.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.57, for a total transaction of $205,712.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,867 shares in the company, valued at $2,775,802.19. The trade was a 6.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 55,903 shares of company stock worth $9,460,221 over the last ninety days. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the first quarter worth $491,000. BankPlus Trust Department lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. BankPlus Trust Department now owns 11,536 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,952,000 after purchasing an additional 954 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 171.9% in the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,681 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $623,000 after purchasing an additional 2,327 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,485,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 9.6% during the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 42,319 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $7,160,000 after buying an additional 3,724 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

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.