Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Purchased by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 10.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 14,577 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,348 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $2,439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 1,230 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 316.7% in the 1st quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund now owns 2,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 121,732 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $20,597,000 after purchasing an additional 4,452 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 21,030 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,558,000 after purchasing an additional 1,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 1st quarter valued at about $221,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $182.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $185.73.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total transaction of $153,579.28. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 8,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,471,127.84. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of DGX stock opened at $178.85 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $176.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.60. The firm has a market cap of $19.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.61, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.49. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $136.99 and a 1-year high of $182.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.81% and a return on equity of 15.11%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Investors of record on Monday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.46%.

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.