Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Given Neutral Rating at Piper Sandler

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by research analysts at Piper Sandler in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $180.00 price target on the medical research company’s stock, up from their previous price target of $165.00. Piper Sandler’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 11.09% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on DGX. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price target (up previously from $175.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $157.00 to $182.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.15.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.7 %

DGX traded down $1.07 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $162.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 141,147 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,007,978. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Quest Diagnostics has a 1 year low of $123.18 and a 1 year high of $167.08. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $155.40 and its 200-day moving average is $153.66.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.71 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total transaction of $2,889,207.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 34,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,661.05. The trade was a 34.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter worth about $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

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.