Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Bought by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,449 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,697 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $6,706,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% during the 4th 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DGX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $185.00 price target (up previously from $175.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price objective (up from $165.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $172.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.38.

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Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE DGX traded up $1.00 on Wednesday, reaching $166.66. 573,844 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 877,386. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.50 billion, a PE ratio of 21.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $125.42 and a fifty-two week high of $178.87. 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 has a 50 day moving average of $165.70 and a 200 day moving average of $158.82.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.61%.

Insider Activity

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.30, for a total value of $66,212.90. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,624 shares in the company, valued at $759,723.20. The trade was a 8.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 4,643 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $789,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 38,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,479,890. This trade represents a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,157 shares of company stock valued at $2,423,755. Company insiders own 0.79% 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.