Natixis Advisors L.P. Increases Stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 47.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,601 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,847 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned 0.07% of Quest Diagnostics worth $11,113,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 12.3% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,554,517 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $433,153,000 after purchasing an additional 388,162 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,476,628 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $479,357,000 after buying an additional 62,114 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 333,947 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 36.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,001,347 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $243,884,000 after purchasing an additional 538,377 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 5.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,798,803 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $219,202,000 after purchasing an additional 92,542 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total transaction of $706,312.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 38,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,843,610.64. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,760 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $246,400.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,880,900. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 5,611 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.88, for a total transaction of $706,312.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 38,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,843,610.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,910 shares of company stock valued at $2,159,602 in the last ninety days. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 1.0 %

DGX opened at $136.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.97. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $119.59 and a one year high of $145.58. The company has a market cap of $15.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.43, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.01.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.18. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 15.52%. The company had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on DGX shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $140.00 to $155.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. TheStreet cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $146.17.

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.