Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Stock Position Raised by Addison Advisors LLC

Addison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,300 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the quarter. Addison Advisors LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $196,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DGX. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of 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 bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $175.69 on Wednesday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $123.66 and a 1-year high of $176.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.50 billion, a PE ratio of 22.85, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.91. The business’s 50 day moving average is $157.99 and its 200-day moving average is $156.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. Sell-side analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 41.61%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 71,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,109,826.76. The trade was a 0.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $759,723.20. This represents a 8.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,792 shares of company stock valued at $465,998 in the last 90 days. 0.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DGX. Barclays raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Leerink Partnrs raised Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised Quest Diagnostics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $174.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics currently has a consensus 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.