Peak Retirement Planning Inc. Buys New Stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Peak Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,071 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $1,067,000. Quest Diagnostics makes up approximately 0.7% of Peak Retirement Planning Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of DGX. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 35.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 298,922 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $46,407,000 after buying an additional 78,980 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 39.6% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,452 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 696 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 9,010 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,359,000 after buying an additional 622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,555 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,592,000 after buying an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 824 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $142,230.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 69,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,940,814.58. This represents a 1.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $21,499,370.58. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 53,985 shares of company stock valued at $9,147,802 in the last three months. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE:DGX traded down $2.50 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $171.18. 746,523 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 991,334. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.26, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $135.47 and a 52 week high of $179.99. The firm's 50 day moving average is $170.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 15.07%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DGX. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird lifted 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. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.