Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target Raised to $235.00

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGXFree Report) had its price objective increased by Mizuho from $210.00 to $235.00 in a research note published on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. Mizuho currently has an outperform rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $219.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.93.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of DGX stock opened at $206.66 on Thursday. Quest Diagnostics has a 52 week low of $157.20 and a 52 week high of $213.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $183.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $182.51. The company has a market capitalization of $22.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.66.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGXGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 15.57%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.23 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be given a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 6th. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.57%.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical research company to buy up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total value of $1,155,048.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,137,724. This represents a 26.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 55,093 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.22, for a total transaction of $10,589,976.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 120,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,158,665.60. This trade represents a 31.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 69,951 shares of company stock valued at $13,473,408. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 113.7% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Quest Diagnostics News

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Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

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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.

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Analyst Recommendations for Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX)

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