AGP Franklin LLC Purchases Shares of 5,690 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

AGP Franklin LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,690 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $858,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 403 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.30, for a total transaction of $66,212.90. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $759,723.20. This trade represents a 8.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 23.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,903 shares of company stock worth $9,460,221 in the last quarter. Insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DGX traded down $0.72 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $163.75. 1,490,919 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 960,047. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $128.38 and a 1-year high of $178.87. The company's 50-day moving average price is $168.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $160.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.61%.

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.