Private Capital Management LLC Has $1.57 Million Stock Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Private Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 19.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,400 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the quarter. Private Capital Management LLC's holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,843 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Net Worth Advisory Group lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 6,495 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $980,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 20,811 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,140,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,315 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 764 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.2%

DGX stock traded up $0.44 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $178.56. The company had a trading volume of 347,199 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,240,333. 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 Incorporated has a one year low of $135.47 and a one year high of $179.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $170.27 and a 200-day moving average of $163.82. The stock has a market cap of $19.93 billion, a PE ratio of 23.21, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.06. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 15.07%. The company had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. Research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is 40.46%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 535 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.71, for a total value of $90,794.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 71,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,109,826.76. The trade was a 0.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 604 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.99, for a total value of $103,277.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 39,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,813,096.55. This trade represents a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 55,124 shares of company stock worth $9,341,875 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DGX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Eight 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics 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.