Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. SVB Leerink started coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, February 26th. They set a market perform rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, February 26th. TheStreet lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a b- rating to a c rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $139.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $146.17.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE DGX opened at $134.26 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $129.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.29. Quest Diagnostics has a 12-month low of $119.59 and a 12-month high of $146.85.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 15.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.04 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics will post 8.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 8th were given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 5th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.22%.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total value of $706,312.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 38,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,843,610.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total transaction of $706,312.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,843,610.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 821 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total transaction of $103,560.94. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,930,712. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,150 shares of company stock valued at $1,913,202 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 218 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.