Dean Capital Management Has $1.52 Million Stock Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Dean Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 60.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,047 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 4,148 shares during the period. Dean Capital Management’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,523,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 218 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 79.3% during the 4th quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 242 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headinvest LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.6 %

DGX traded down $0.87 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $141.47. 582,107 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,016,345. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $136.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $133.55. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1 year low of $119.59 and a 1 year high of $145.62.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 15.52%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.79 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is 38.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on DGX. Leerink Partnrs restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 26th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $139.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, SVB Leerink initiated coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, February 26th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $146.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $246,400.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,880,900. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Company 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.