8,054 Shares in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Purchased by Appleton Partners Inc. MA

Appleton Partners Inc. MA bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 8,054 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $1,363,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% during the first quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the first quarter valued at $35,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 142.5% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 485 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 2,555 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $434,350.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,797,750. This trade represents a 19.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total value of $153,579.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,471,127.84. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,620 shares of company stock worth $7,190,045 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of DGX traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $179.93. 707,321 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 991,450. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $135.47 and a fifty-two week high of $182.38. The company has a market cap of $20.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.49. The firm's fifty day moving average is $174.68 and its 200 day moving average is $166.50.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 8.81%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 7th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $182.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.