Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Stock Holdings Raised by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 14.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,897 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,373 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 218 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 79.3% in the 4th quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 242 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 179.8% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:DGX opened at $137.38 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $119.59 and a 52 week high of $145.58. The stock has a market cap of $15.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.49, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $130.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $131.83.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.52% and a net margin of 9.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.04 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DGX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. SVB Leerink began coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, February 26th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $140.00 to $155.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $146.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total transaction of $706,312.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,478 shares in the company, valued at $4,843,610.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Quest Diagnostics news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 821 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total value of $103,560.94. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 70,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,930,712. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total value of $706,312.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,478 shares in the company, valued at $4,843,610.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,910 shares of company stock worth $2,159,602 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics 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.