Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank decreased its position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 314,400 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 15,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.28% of Quest Diagnostics worth $47,430,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of DGX stock traded down $1.76 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $166.25. The company had a trading volume of 994,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 872,928. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $164.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.48. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $125.42 and a 52-week high of $178.87. The stock has a market cap of $18.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.62, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

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Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. 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 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.61%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,370 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.13, for a total transaction of $935,078.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,852,680.84. The trade was a 7.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 403 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $759,723.20. This trade represents a 8.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,157 shares of company stock worth $2,423,755. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on DGX. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $172.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.38.

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.