Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.31.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 1.3%

DGX opened at $177.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Quest Diagnostics has a 52 week low of $148.70 and a 52 week high of $197.55. The stock has a market cap of $19.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.98, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average of $182.34 and a 200-day moving average of $177.88.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The medical research company reported $2.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.73 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.47% and a net margin of 8.91%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.760-9.840 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Quest Diagnostics news, Director Gary M. Pfeiffer sold 1,482 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.40, for a total value of $270,316.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 29,431 shares in the company, valued at $5,368,214.40. This trade represents a 4.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 28,288 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.12, for a total value of $5,293,250.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,117 shares in the company, valued at $7,132,453.04. This represents a 42.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 38,654 shares of company stock worth $7,189,232. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% during the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 18,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 185 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the third quarter worth $33,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently 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.