95,398 Shares in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Bought by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 95,398 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,392,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 44,145 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $6,660,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 16,763 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,529,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 881,764 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $133,023,000 after purchasing an additional 113,956 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,596,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.30, for a total value of $66,212.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $759,723.20. The trade was a 8.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.57, for a total value of $205,712.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 16,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,775,802.19. This represents a 6.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,144 shares of company stock valued at $699,367. Corporate insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of DGX opened at $172.86 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.91. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $123.66 and a 12-month high of $176.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $159.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.78.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 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%. 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be given a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. 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 (DPR) is currently 41.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on DGX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $189.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective (up previously from $175.00) on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.23.

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.