Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 1,967 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 67,300 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 1,967 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of Quest Diagnostics worth $10,153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 535 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,109,826.76. This trade represents a 0.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the business'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 value of $205,712.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,775,802.19. This represents a 6.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,144 shares of company stock valued at $699,367. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company's stock.

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Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE:DGX traded up $3.82 on Friday, reaching $175.49. 1,092,087 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,079,727. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $125.09 and a 1-year high of $178.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company's 50 day moving average is $161.28 and its 200-day moving average is $157.39.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 15.07%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on DGX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup cut Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $189.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.23.

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.