Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Leerink Partnrs

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Leerink Partnrs from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on DGX. Barclays boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $154.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $172.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $172.15.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of DGX stock traded up $1.51 during trading on Monday, hitting $153.78. 609,684 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 643,921. Quest Diagnostics has a 52-week low of $123.04 and a 52-week high of $165.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.90. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $156.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.25% and a net margin of 8.82%. The business had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total value of $2,889,207.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 34,941 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,661.05. The trade was a 34.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,775 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.92, for a total value of $278,533.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,527,459.28. The trade was a 15.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 77.5% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 229 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $82,000. 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.