Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Position Increased by Greenleaf Trust

Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,195 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 218 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 1,100.0% in the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Finally, Headinvest LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 5.1 %

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $136.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $128.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $119.59 and a 1-year high of $148.62.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical research company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.25 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 15.79%. Quest Diagnostics’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, April 8th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 5th. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Leerink Partnrs reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Finally, SVB Leerink assumed coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, February 26th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $144.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total value of $706,312.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 38,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,843,610.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total value of $83,378.54. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,206 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,071,584.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total transaction of $706,312.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 38,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,843,610.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,150 shares of company stock worth $1,913,202 in the last quarter. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.