Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on DGX. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $139.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $152.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $145.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 5th. Citigroup raised shares of 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 report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $149.38.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 2.1 %

NYSE DGX opened at $143.91 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Quest Diagnostics has a twelve month low of $119.59 and a twelve month high of $150.59. The company has a market cap of $15.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s fifty day moving average is $141.06 and its 200 day moving average is $134.39.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.39 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.52% and a net margin of 9.11%. Quest Diagnostics’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics will post 8.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $246,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,435 shares in the company, valued at $1,880,900. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DGX. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 45.6% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 2,473 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,868 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 727 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 103.3% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 148,251 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $20,441,000 after purchasing an additional 75,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 57,052 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $7,866,000 after purchasing an additional 5,173 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.