Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) EVP Sells $142,230.64 in Stock

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 824 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $142,230.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 69,178 shares in the company, valued at $11,940,814.58. This trade represents a 1.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX traded down $0.86 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $176.10. The stock had a trading volume of 719,417 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,052,462. The business has a 50-day moving average of $160.11 and a 200-day moving average of $157.02. The stock has a market cap of $19.54 billion, a PE ratio of 22.91, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.91. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $124.25 and a one year high of $178.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Quest Diagnostics's payout ratio is 41.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,843 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 5.5% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.1% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $976,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $189.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.