Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Mark E. Delaney Sells 874 Shares

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total transaction of $153,579.28. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,471,127.84. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $177.88 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $163.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $135.47 and a 12-month high of $179.32. The firm has a market cap of $19.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. Analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DGX shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $182.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $195.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $185.73.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,410 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,059 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $179,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,843 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 6,495 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $980,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,513 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.