Mizuho Increases Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target to $189.00

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at Mizuho from $178.00 to $189.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Mizuho’s price target indicates a potential upside of 15.37% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Leerink Partners raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $169.00 to $174.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Leerink Partnrs raised Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.33.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.1 %

DGX opened at $163.82 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $168.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.84. Quest Diagnostics has a one year low of $125.42 and a one year high of $178.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $18.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.78.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quest Diagnostics news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,370 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.13, for a total transaction of $935,078.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,068 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,852,680.84. This represents a 7.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total value of $6,602,115.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 127,623 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,499,370.58. This trade represents a 23.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 55,903 shares of company stock worth $9,460,221. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 85.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 17,969 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,940,000 after acquiring an additional 8,282 shares during the last quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $355,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 980.3% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 24,198 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 21,958 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 26,428 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,987,000 after buying an additional 3,983 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.