Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) EVP Sells $90,794.85 in Stock

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 535 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.71, for a total value of $90,794.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 71,356 shares in the company, valued at $12,109,826.76. The trade was a 0.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of DGX opened at $172.44 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $123.66 and a 12-month high of $172.91. The business’s fifty day moving average is $157.56 and its 200 day moving average is $155.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $19.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.91.

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, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be given a $0.80 dividend. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on DGX. Barclays upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.23.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position 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 buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.