189 Shares in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Bought by Altshuler Shaham Ltd

Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 189 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,260 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,917 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $91,541,000 after buying an additional 17,085 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 38.4% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,568 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $906,000 after buying an additional 1,823 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 38.3% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,001 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 226.3% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 102,258 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $14,400,000 after purchasing an additional 70,922 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of DGX traded down $0.79 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $136.15. 612,346 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,051,337. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $119.59 and a 52 week high of $145.58. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.04. The firm has a market cap of $15.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.18. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 15.52%. The company had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.78 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $140.00 to $155.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $146.17.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total transaction of $706,312.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,843,610.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total transaction of $706,312.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 38,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,843,610.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total transaction of $83,378.54. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,206 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,071,584.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 16,910 shares of company stock valued at $2,159,602. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.