Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Michael E. Prevoznik Sells 4,643 Shares

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 4,643 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $789,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,117 shares in the company, valued at $6,479,890. This represents a 10.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX traded up $0.50 during trading on Friday, hitting $166.96. 1,437,214 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 878,072. The business's 50 day moving average is $165.18 and its 200-day moving average is $158.64. The company has a market capitalization of $18.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $125.42 and a 1-year high of $178.87.

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

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Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DGX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised Quest Diagnostics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $145.00 to $172.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $185.00 price target (up previously from $175.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.38.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.