Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Acquired by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 244,484 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,326 shares during the quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC owned 0.22% of Quest Diagnostics worth $36,883,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,843 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 6,495 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $980,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 20,811 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,140,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,315 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 764 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.57, for a total transaction of $205,712.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,775,802.19. This represents a 6.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total transaction of $6,602,115.86. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 127,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,499,370.58. The trade was a 23.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 55,903 shares of company stock valued at $9,460,221 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.79% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DGX traded down $0.72 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $163.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,490,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 962,084. The company has a market capitalization of $18.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.78. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $168.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $160.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $125.42 and a 52 week high of $178.87.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on DGX shares. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Citigroup cut Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.33.

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.