First Financial Bank Trust Division Sells 4,053 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

First Financial Bank Trust Division lessened its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 55.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,305 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 4,053 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division's holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $559,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of DGX. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 35.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 298,922 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $46,407,000 after purchasing an additional 78,980 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 16,444 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,481,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $323,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 6,294 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $950,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total transaction of $6,602,115.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 127,623 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,499,370.58. This trade represents a 23.49% 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, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total transaction of $153,579.28. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,471,127.84. The trade was a 9.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 52,633 shares of company stock valued at $8,914,433. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DGX. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Mizuho boosted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX traded up $1.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $173.07. The stock had a trading volume of 1,612,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 994,037. The business's 50-day moving average price is $170.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.66. 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 Incorporated has a 52 week low of $135.47 and a 52 week high of $179.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.32 billion, a PE ratio of 22.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Investors of record on Monday, July 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.46%.

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.