Calamos Advisors LLC Sells 849 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Calamos Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,031 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 849 shares during the quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of Quest Diagnostics worth $8,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DGX. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the third quarter worth $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 100.0% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 218 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the first quarter worth $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 1,100.0% during the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $128.44 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $119.59 and a 52 week high of $148.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.31. The company’s fifty day moving average is $128.32 and its 200-day moving average is $130.77. The company has a market capitalization of $14.26 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.91.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical research company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 8th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 5th. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 37.92%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total value of $83,378.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,071,584.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total value of $83,378.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,071,584.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 2,500 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.64, for a total value of $316,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,067,904.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,150 shares of company stock worth $1,913,202. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. SVB Leerink assumed coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, February 26th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Leerink Partnrs reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $140.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $144.18.

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.