Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Position Raised by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 33.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 72,930 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 18,435 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.07% of Quest Diagnostics worth $11,002,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,363,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 7.7% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 92,830 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $14,412,000 after purchasing an additional 6,619 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 85.5% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 17,969 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,940,000 after purchasing an additional 8,282 shares in the last quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth about $355,000. Finally, Icon Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 8,669.8% in the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 62,178 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $9,653,000 after buying an additional 61,469 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DGX traded up $0.96 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $163.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 889,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,033,613. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.10. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $123.18 and a 1-year high of $167.08. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $155.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.81. The firm has a market cap of $18.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.91.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on DGX. Leerink Partners upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $174.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $177.69.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $154.05, for a total transaction of $2,889,207.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 34,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382,661.05. This represents a 34.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.