Foster & Motley Inc. Sells 1,352 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Foster & Motley Inc. trimmed its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,364 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 1,352 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $4,882,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at about $355,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 31,436 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,742,000 after buying an additional 1,770 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC now owns 15,520 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,341,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 21,319 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,216,000 after acquiring an additional 749 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 1.2 %

DGX stock opened at $155.32 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.90. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12 month low of $123.04 and a 12 month high of $165.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $155.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 40.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 34.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DGX has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $158.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Mizuho boosted 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. Finally, Leerink Partners raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $174.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.15.

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.