Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 7.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,830 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,619 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Quest Diagnostics worth $14,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 77.5% in the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 229 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at $35,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock traded up $2.87 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $164.19. The company had a trading volume of 432,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 921,331. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $147.98. The stock has a market cap of $18.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $123.04 and a 12-month high of $164.25.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.43 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.25% and a net margin of 8.82%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 14th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, CAO Michael J. Deppe sold 18,755 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 34.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.92, for a total value of $278,533.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,734 shares in the company, valued at $1,527,459.28. The trade was a 15.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,520 shares of company stock worth $3,472,728. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DGX. StockNews.com lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Baird R W raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Mizuho increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $154.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.58.

Quest Diagnostics Company 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.