Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Michael E. Prevoznik Sells 528 Shares

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 528 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $91,138.08. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 39,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,737,140.91. The trade was a 1.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

NYSE DGX opened at $172.86 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $159.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.73. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $123.66 and a 12-month high of $176.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $19.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.91.

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

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DGX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $172.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $172.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $174.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Seven investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.23.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 48.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 8,979 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 2,934 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 23.7% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,537 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 1,444 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 38.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,345 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,601,000 after acquiring an additional 2,852 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth $279,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,657 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,655,000 after acquiring an additional 1,346 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.