Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $197.27.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of DGX stock opened at $181.07 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics has a 1 year low of $150.99 and a 1 year high of $197.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $181.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $180.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company has a market cap of $20.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.25, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.64.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.76, for a total transaction of $239,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,267,015.12. This trade represents a 6.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 7,946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.35, for a total transaction of $1,488,683.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,410,745.50. This trade represents a 51.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 64,289 shares of company stock valued at $12,318,360. 8.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,233,576 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,556,777,000 after purchasing an additional 296,860 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,223,930 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $995,577,000 after purchasing an additional 38,931 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 32.8% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,036,881 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $767,978,000 after purchasing an additional 997,033 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 7.5% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,982,415 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $533,563,000 after purchasing an additional 208,261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,907,510 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $363,509,000 after purchasing an additional 6,155 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a leading provider of diagnostic information services that supports clinical decision-making for patients, physicians and healthcare organizations. The company operates a network of clinical laboratories and patient service centers that perform a broad range of laboratory tests and diagnostic assays used in routine care, disease diagnosis, monitoring and screening.

Its services span core clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, molecular and genomic diagnostics, infectious disease testing and toxicology.