Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Sells 3,951 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC cut its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,969 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 3,951 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $8,570,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 18,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 185 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.76, for a total transaction of $239,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,267,015.12. This trade represents a 6.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 7,946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.35, for a total value of $1,488,683.10. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,410,745.50. The trade was a 51.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 64,289 shares of company stock worth $12,318,360 in the last three months. 8.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DGX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Leerink Partners raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho raised their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.27.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE DGX opened at $182.31 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.28 billion, a PE ratio of 21.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $181.45 and its 200 day moving average is $180.40. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a twelve month low of $153.99 and a twelve month high of $197.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.56%.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a leading provider of diagnostic information services that supports clinical decision-making for patients, physicians and healthcare organizations. The company operates a network of clinical laboratories and patient service centers that perform a broad range of laboratory tests and diagnostic assays used in routine care, disease diagnosis, monitoring and screening.

Its services span core clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, molecular and genomic diagnostics, infectious disease testing and toxicology.