Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Sold by Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC

Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lowered its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,173 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 184 shares during the quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total value of $2,889,207.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 34,941 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,382,661.05. The trade was a 34.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 3.0 %

NYSE DGX opened at $159.94 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $155.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.21. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12 month low of $123.04 and a 12 month high of $165.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $17.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.90.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 14th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DGX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird raised Quest Diagnostics from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $157.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Leerink Partners raised Quest Diagnostics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $169.00 to $174.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Baird R W upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.15.

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.