Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Has $15.36 Million Stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 13.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101,788 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 11,821 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned 0.09% of Quest Diagnostics worth $15,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,363,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 85.5% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 7.7% during the 3rd 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 during the period. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth $355,000. Finally, Icon Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 8,669.8% during the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 62,178 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $9,653,000 after purchasing an additional 61,469 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

NYSE:DGX traded up $1.98 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $171.63. 1,446,253 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,042,001. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $19.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.91. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12 month low of $123.30 and a 12 month high of $172.64. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $156.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.31.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 15.07%. Sell-side analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. 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. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.57, for a total transaction of $205,712.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,775,802.19. This trade represents a 6.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 403 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.30, for a total transaction of $66,212.90. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $759,723.20. This represents a 8.02 % 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DGX. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price target (up from $175.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $169.00 to $174.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $177.69.

Quest Diagnostics 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.