Advanced Portfolio Management LLC Invests $342,000 in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Advanced Portfolio Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,099 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $342,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock traded up $1.87 during trading on Thursday, hitting $178.44. 983,969 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 967,102. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $135.47 and a 12-month high of $179.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $19.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $169.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $162.56.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.06. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total value of $6,602,115.86. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 127,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,499,370.58. This trade represents a 23.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 604 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.99, for a total value of $103,277.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 39,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,813,096.55. The trade was a 1.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 54,250 shares of company stock valued at $9,188,295 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $182.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.73.

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.