Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Stock Position Raised by Amalgamated Bank

Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,004 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $3,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 1.6% during the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,933 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $657,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 389 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.9% in the second quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,795 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 3.8% during the first quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management now owns 2,312 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Arjuna Capital grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 5.2% during the first quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 1,770 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $153.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $152.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.33.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,756,206.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,756,206.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.08, for a total value of $60,093.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,019 shares in the company, valued at $718,118.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 1.4 %

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $152.99 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $119.59 and a fifty-two week high of $159.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $150.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.09. The firm has a market cap of $17.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.89.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.35% and a net margin of 8.99%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.30 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.38%.

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.