Boston Trust Walden Corp Purchases 18,435 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 33.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 72,930 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,435 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $11,002,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% during 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 in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth $82,000. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at about $91,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DGX opened at $162.51 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $155.40 and a 200 day moving average of $153.70. The firm has a market cap of $18.14 billion, a PE ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.90. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $123.18 and a one year high of $167.08.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 15.07%. As a group, research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DGX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Baird R W raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group upped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price (up from $165.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.77.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total transaction of $2,889,207.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 34,941 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,382,661.05. This represents a 34.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

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.