Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Sold by Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt trimmed its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 98.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 311 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 21,424 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $43,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $493,000. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 103.3% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 148,251 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $20,441,000 after buying an additional 75,315 shares in the last quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,483,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,613,793 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $318,517,000 after purchasing an additional 333,947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 201.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 31,912 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,400,000 after purchasing an additional 21,327 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $128.44 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a twelve month low of $119.59 and a twelve month high of $148.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $128.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.84.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical research company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 9.23%. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.98 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.75 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 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 8th will be given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 5th. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $140.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. SVB Leerink started coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, February 26th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $135.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $144.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total value of $83,378.54. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,071,584.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 661 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.14, for a total transaction of $83,378.54. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,071,584.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total value of $706,312.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 38,478 shares in the company, valued at $4,843,610.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,150 shares of company stock valued at $1,913,202 over the last three months. 0.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.