20,167 Shares in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Acquired by Trexquant Investment LP

Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 20,167 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $3,042,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% during 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 purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

NYSE:DGX traded down $0.03 on Friday, hitting $163.82. The stock had a trading volume of 2,218,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 951,690. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $168.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $159.92. The stock has a market cap of $18.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.78. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $125.42 and a 52-week high of $178.87. 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 (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. 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 is 41.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on DGX shares. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price target (up from $165.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $195.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.33.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total value of $6,602,115.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 127,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,499,370.58. This represents a 23.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,370 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction 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 owns 68,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,852,680.84. This trade represents a 7.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 55,903 shares of company stock worth $9,460,221. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company's stock.

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.