Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target Cut to $175.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by research analysts at UBS Group from $176.00 to $175.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the medical research company's stock. UBS Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 4.92% from the company's current price.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on DGX. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $186.07.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:DGX traded down $1.39 on Friday, reaching $166.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,557,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,691. 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 cap of $18.62 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.49. The business's 50-day moving average price is $174.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.08. Quest Diagnostics has a 1-year low of $137.71 and a 1-year high of $182.38.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.06. The company 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 15.11% and a net margin of 8.81%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Quest Diagnostics news, 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DGX. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,984,238 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,012,534,000 after acquiring an additional 493,960 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,690,021 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $404,764,000 after acquiring an additional 73,368 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 60.4% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,433,913 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $367,180,000 after acquiring an additional 916,898 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter worth $388,724,000. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 2,268,990 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $342,300,000 after acquiring an additional 26,214 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

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.