Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Given New $180.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) had its target price upped by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $173.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the medical research company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 9.59% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Baird R W raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $169.00 to $174.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.69.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX traded up $1.78 on Tuesday, reaching $164.25. The company had a trading volume of 85,036 shares, compared to its average volume of 995,448. Quest Diagnostics has a one year low of $123.18 and a one year high of $167.08. The company has a market capitalization of $18.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a fifty day moving average of $155.40 and a 200-day moving average of $153.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quest Diagnostics news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of Quest Diagnostics 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 20.4% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,407 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,561,000 after acquiring an additional 1,929 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 11.8% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 7,188 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $984,000 after acquiring an additional 757 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.5% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,125 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,207,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,301,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 33.1% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $654,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

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.