Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Shares Purchased by Peterson Wealth Services

Peterson Wealth Services boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 33,812.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,042 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 60,862 shares during the period. Quest Diagnostics makes up approximately 2.6% of Peterson Wealth Services’ portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Peterson Wealth Services owned about 0.05% of Quest Diagnostics worth $11,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 117.5% in the third quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 5,034 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $959,000 after purchasing an additional 2,720 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,713,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2,531.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 450,898 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $85,932,000 after buying an additional 433,764 shares during the period. TKG Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 125.1% in the 3rd quarter. TKG Advisors LLC now owns 14,596 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,782,000 after buying an additional 8,112 shares during the period. Finally, Ethic Inc. grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 144.2% during the third quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 14,424 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,749,000 after buying an additional 8,518 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.76, for a total transaction of $239,700.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,037 shares in the company, valued at $3,267,015.12. This trade represents a 6.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 7,946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.35, for a total value of $1,488,683.10. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,410,745.50. This represents a 51.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 64,289 shares of company stock worth $12,318,360 in the last quarter. 8.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $184.85 on Tuesday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12 month low of $157.20 and a 12 month high of $197.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $181.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $180.84.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th were given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is 37.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays raised Quest Diagnostics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $198.27.

Quest Diagnostics Profile

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a leading provider of diagnostic information services that supports clinical decision-making for patients, physicians and healthcare organizations. The company operates a network of clinical laboratories and patient service centers that perform a broad range of laboratory tests and diagnostic assays used in routine care, disease diagnosis, monitoring and screening.

Its services span core clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, molecular and genomic diagnostics, infectious disease testing and toxicology.