Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Sold by Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC

Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lowered its holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,982 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 187 shares during the period. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 1.0% during the third quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 129,298 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $20,072,000 after buying an additional 1,343 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 438,977 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $68,144,000 after acquiring an additional 68,844 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,287 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter worth $249,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the third quarter worth $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $159.29 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $123.04 and a 12-month high of $160.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $153.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.60.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.26 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.25% and a net margin of 8.82%. The firm had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.32%.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total transaction of $304,987.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,756,206.34. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,756,206.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of the company’s 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 in the company, valued at $5,382,661.05. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,520 shares of company stock valued at $3,472,728. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DGX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $154.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.58.

Quest Diagnostics 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.