Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target Increased to $145.00 by Analysts at Citigroup

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) had its price objective upped by Citigroup from $135.00 to $145.00 in a research note published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the medical research company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on DGX. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. SVB Leerink started coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 26th. They set a market perform rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $139.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $146.25.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.6 %

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $137.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $131.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Quest Diagnostics has a 1-year low of $119.59 and a 1-year high of $148.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.91.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.18. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 8th were given a $0.75 dividend. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 5th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is presently 37.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total value of $83,378.54. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,206 shares in the company, valued at $5,071,584.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.64, for a total transaction of $316,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,329 shares in the company, valued at $2,067,904.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total transaction of $83,378.54. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,206 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,071,584.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,150 shares of company stock worth $1,913,202. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 17.2% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,114 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the first quarter worth about $243,000. Silver Lake Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the first quarter worth about $269,000. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 2.0% during the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 28,842 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,839,000 after acquiring an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 18.2% during the first quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 3,364 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. 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.