Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target Increased to $150.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Get Rating) had its price objective boosted by analysts at UBS Group from $139.00 to $150.00 in a research report issued on Sunday, The Fly reports. UBS Group’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 9.34% from the stock’s previous close.

DGX has been the topic of a number of other reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $159.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $129.00 in a research note on Friday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $150.54.

NYSE:DGX traded down $4.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $137.19. 1,183,404 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,101,359. Quest Diagnostics has a 12 month low of $125.77 and a 12 month high of $174.16. The company has a fifty day moving average of $136.98 and a 200 day moving average of $144.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $16.16 billion, a PE ratio of 9.13 and a beta of 1.12.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 21st. The medical research company reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.30. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 17.61% and a return on equity of 27.08%. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.76 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 6,228 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.21, for a total transaction of $842,087.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 2,750 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.26, for a total value of $347,215.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.45% of the company’s stock.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,064 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $184,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 1.0% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,499 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 1,695 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 3,904 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $675,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 17,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,027,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 86.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile (Get Rating)

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing, information, and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic information services, such as routine testing, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services.

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