By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Free Report) had its target price increased by Mizuho from $177.00 to $178.00 in a research note released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the medical research company’s stock.
Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Baird R W raised Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley upgraded Quest Diagnostics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $172.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $157.00 to $182.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.77.
Get Our Latest Research Report on DGX
Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance
NYSE:DGX opened at $162.51 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a 50 day moving average of $155.40 and a 200 day moving average of $153.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Quest Diagnostics has a 1-year low of $123.18 and a 1-year high of $167.08.
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 15.07%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.71 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 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.61%.
Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics
In other Quest Diagnostics news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total transaction of $2,889,207.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 34,941 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,661.05. This trade represents a 34.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sigma Planning Corp grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 5,497 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $829,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 28,488 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,298,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 45.3% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 555 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 56.3% during the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 5,150 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $777,000 after buying an additional 1,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,075 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
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.
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