Brokerages Set Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) PT at $147.15

Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $148.69.

Several research firms recently weighed in on DGX. Mizuho boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup raised Quest Diagnostics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $152.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $144.11 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.04. Quest Diagnostics has a 52-week low of $119.59 and a 52-week high of $145.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $16.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.89.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.18. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.52% and a net margin of 9.11%. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.04 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.38%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $246,400.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,880,900. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 100.0% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 218 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 79.3% in the fourth quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 242 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.