Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX – Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $178.23.
Several brokerages recently issued reports on DGX. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price (up previously from $165.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 target price (up previously from $175.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.
Insider Activity
Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,363,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 85.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 17,969 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,940,000 after buying an additional 8,282 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 92,830 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $14,412,000 after buying an additional 6,619 shares in the last quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth $355,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 980.3% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 24,198 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,650,000 after buying an additional 21,958 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.8 %
NYSE:DGX opened at $170.20 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $163.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.18. Quest Diagnostics has a 52 week low of $125.42 and a 52 week high of $178.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $18.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92.
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.61%.
Quest Diagnostics Company Profile
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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