Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Stock Rating Upgraded by Barclays

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) was upgraded by Barclays from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $210.00 target price on the medical research company’s stock. Barclays‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 15.19% from the stock’s previous close.

DGX has been the topic of several other reports. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $198.27.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE DGX opened at $182.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $181.45 and its 200-day moving average is $180.40. Quest Diagnostics has a one year low of $153.99 and a one year high of $197.55. The firm has a market cap of $20.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.64.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 55,093 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.22, for a total value of $10,589,976.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 120,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,158,665.60. This trade represents a 31.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 7,946 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.35, for a total value of $1,488,683.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,410,745.50. This trade represents a 51.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 64,289 shares of company stock valued at $12,318,360. 8.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 113.7% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 18,400.0% during the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 185 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a leading provider of diagnostic information services that supports clinical decision-making for patients, physicians and healthcare organizations. The company operates a network of clinical laboratories and patient service centers that perform a broad range of laboratory tests and diagnostic assays used in routine care, disease diagnosis, monitoring and screening.

Its services span core clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, molecular and genomic diagnostics, infectious disease testing and toxicology.