Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Bought by Naples Global Advisors LLC

Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 1.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,006 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of DGX. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 79.3% in the fourth quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 242 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the first quarter worth $33,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 179.8% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 420 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.08, for a total value of $60,093.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $718,118.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:DGX traded up $1.69 on Friday, reaching $151.38. The stock had a trading volume of 717,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 986,566. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $119.59 and a 12-month high of $152.00. The company has a market cap of $16.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $143.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 15.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DGX. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $139.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $153.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $150.58.

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.