Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 6,678 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 34.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,912 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,678 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $3,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DGX. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 218 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1,100.0% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX traded down $1.06 on Thursday, hitting $125.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 873,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,028,992. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.75. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1 year low of $119.59 and a 1 year high of $148.62. The company has a market capitalization of $13.98 billion, a PE ratio of 16.81, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical research company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 9.23%. The company's revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 8th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 5th. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is 37.92%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.64, for a total transaction of $316,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,067,904.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.64, for a total transaction of $316,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,067,904.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total value of $83,378.54. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,206 shares in the company, valued at $5,071,584.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,150 shares of company stock worth $1,913,202. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $155.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. SVB Leerink assumed coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 26th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Leerink Partnrs reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, TheStreet cut Quest Diagnostics from a "b-" rating to a "c" rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $144.18.

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.