Copeland Capital Management LLC Has $33.21 Million Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Copeland Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 1.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 196,262 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,044 shares during the quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned about 0.18% of Quest Diagnostics worth $33,208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% in the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 157.3% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 11,100.0% in the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 224 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total value of $6,602,115.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 127,623 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,499,370.58. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total transaction of $153,579.28. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,471,127.84. This trade represents a 9.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 42,620 shares of company stock worth $7,190,045 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $182.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE DGX traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $177.73. The company had a trading volume of 1,205,898 shares, compared to its average volume of 994,306. The company has a market capitalization of $19.84 billion, a PE ratio of 22.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $136.30 and a one year high of $182.38.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 15.11% and a net margin of 8.81%. On average, equities analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. Quest Diagnostics's payout ratio is 40.46%.

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.