American National Bank & Trust Invests $1.62 Million in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 9,562 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $1,618,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in DGX. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Sandy Spring Bank boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 142.5% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 485 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 555 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DGX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho raised their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $185.73.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,372 shares in the company, valued at $1,471,127.84. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total transaction of $6,602,115.86. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 47,263 shares of company stock valued at $7,979,355. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX traded up $0.42 during trading on Thursday, reaching $174.23. 206,401 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 985,750. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12 month low of $135.47 and a 12 month high of $179.99. The firm has a market cap of $19.45 billion, a PE ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $171.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $164.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. Research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.