Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Buys 718 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 3.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 19,535 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $2,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 73.4% during the 2nd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 189 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 136.2% during the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 411 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.76% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of DGX opened at $134.85 on Tuesday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $119.59 and a 12-month high of $158.34. The business’s fifty day moving average is $126.98 and its 200 day moving average is $132.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market cap of $15.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.25 and a beta of 0.92.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The medical research company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.27 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 8.21%. Quest Diagnostics’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.36 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 17th will be given a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 16th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 42.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DGX shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $136.00 to $130.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. TheStreet cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $148.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $146.09.

Quest Diagnostics Profile

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing, information, and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic information services, such as routine testing, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services.