Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Acquired by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 129,298 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,343 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $20,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 77.5% during the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 229 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on DGX shares. Barclays increased their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $154.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total transaction of $2,889,207.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 34,941 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,661.05. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total value of $2,889,207.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 34,941 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,661.05. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,756,206.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,520 shares of company stock valued at $3,472,728 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 2.0 %

DGX stock opened at $159.29 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $153.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $123.04 and a 1-year high of $160.95. The firm has a market cap of $17.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.41, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.89.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.43 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.25% and a net margin of 8.82%. Quest Diagnostics’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.9 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.32%.

Quest Diagnostics Company 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.