Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Sold by Motley Fool Asset Management LLC

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,822 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 189 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $251,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DGX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 36.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,001,347 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $243,884,000 after acquiring an additional 538,377 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 12.3% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,554,517 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $433,153,000 after buying an additional 388,162 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,613,793 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $318,517,000 after buying an additional 333,947 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2,400.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 336,521 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $41,008,000 after acquiring an additional 323,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,869,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:DGX opened at $134.26 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $129.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.17. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $119.59 and a 12-month high of $146.85. The firm has a market cap of $14.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.07, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.91.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.18. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.52% and a net margin of 9.11%. The business had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.04 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.78 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 8th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 5th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.22%.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 821 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total transaction of $103,560.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,930,712. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total transaction of $83,378.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,206 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,071,584.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 821 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total value of $103,560.94. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 70,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,930,712. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,150 shares of company stock valued at $1,913,202 in the last quarter. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on DGX shares. StockNews.com upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. TheStreet lowered Quest Diagnostics from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $146.17.

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.