Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Acquired by Copeland Capital Management LLC

Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 1.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 202,632 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 3,865 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $31,459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 77.5% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 229 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,756,206.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 420 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.08, for a total value of $60,093.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $718,118.52. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,756,206.34. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 1.5 %

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $147.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $152.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $144.20. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $120.87 and a fifty-two week high of $159.36. The company has a market capitalization of $16.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.89.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.39 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.35% and a net margin of 8.99%. Quest Diagnostics’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.30 EPS. Research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 40.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DGX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $153.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Citigroup upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $144.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.92.

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.