Ameriprise Financial Inc. Sells 3,195 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lowered its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 955,075 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,195 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.86% of Quest Diagnostics worth $144,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DGX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Mizuho upped their price target 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. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 604 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 39,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,813,096.55. This trade represents a 1.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 127,623 shares in the company, valued at $21,499,370.58. This represents a 23.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 54,250 shares of company stock valued at $9,188,295. Insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE DGX traded up $1.06 on Friday, reaching $176.96. The company had a trading volume of 1,309,977 shares, compared to its average volume of 973,327. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52. The company's fifty day moving average is $169.70 and its 200 day moving average is $162.89. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $135.47 and a 52-week high of $179.32.

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

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.