Dakota Wealth Management Purchases New Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,362 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the third quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at approximately $74,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total value of $2,889,207.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 34,941 shares in the company, valued at $5,382,661.05. The trade was a 34.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

NYSE:DGX opened at $155.36 on Monday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $123.04 and a 52 week high of $165.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $17.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $155.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.21.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th will be given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DGX. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price target (up from $175.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird raised Quest Diagnostics from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $157.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Mizuho lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.15.

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.