Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) SVP Patrick Plewman Sells 11,717 Shares of Stock

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Patrick Plewman sold 11,717 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.34, for a total transaction of $3,015,252.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,778,780.56. This trade represents a 44.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $259.21. 841,556 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 983,800. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $171.18 and a one year high of $262.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $240.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $215.21.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $3.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.13. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.21% and a net margin of 9.53%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.29 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 12th will be given a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 12th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on DGX. Wall Street Zen raised Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $262.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (a)” rating to a “buy (a+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $248.70.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Next Level Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 492.9% in the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 166 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 496.4% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 167 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 92.2% during the 3rd quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 198 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a provider of diagnostic information services, conducting laboratory tests that help physicians and other health care professionals diagnose, monitor and manage medical conditions. Its services include routine blood and other clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, and specialized molecular and genetic testing. The company serves patients, physicians, hospitals, health plans, employers and government organizations. In addition to testing performed through its laboratories and patient service centers, Quest offers services such as workplace drug testing and diagnostic support for clinical research.