Signaturefd LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 14.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,745 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $263,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,370 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.13, for a total transaction of $935,078.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,852,680.84. This represents a 7.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 4,643 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $789,310.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,479,890. The trade was a 10.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,157 shares of company stock worth $2,423,755 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.3 %

DGX opened at $166.96 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $125.42 and a 52 week high of $178.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.60. The company has a market capitalization of $18.53 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on DGX shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group raised their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $172.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Leerink Partners raised Quest Diagnostics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $169.00 to $174.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Quest Diagnostics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $172.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy 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 $178.38.

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.