Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Sold by Check Capital Management Inc. CA

Check Capital Management Inc. CA lessened its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 149,152 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 18,578 shares during the period. Quest Diagnostics accounts for approximately 0.8% of Check Capital Management Inc. CA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Check Capital Management Inc. CA owned approximately 0.13% of Quest Diagnostics worth $20,565,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth about $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 buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $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 buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX stock traded up $2.53 on Friday, reaching $128.44. 1,557,566 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,035,946. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $128.28 and a 200-day moving average of $130.72. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a twelve month low of $119.59 and a twelve month high of $148.62. The firm has a market cap of $14.26 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical research company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 9.23%. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, April 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 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 5th. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total value of $706,312.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 38,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,843,610.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total value of $706,312.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 38,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,843,610.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 16,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,067,904.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,150 shares of company stock valued at $1,913,202. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on DGX. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, February 26th. SVB Leerink assumed coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, February 26th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. TheStreet cut Quest Diagnostics from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $144.18.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.