Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Has $6.91 Million Stock Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lowered its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,845 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,300 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $6,911,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup cut Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.73.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total value of $6,602,115.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 127,623 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,499,370.58. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of Quest Diagnostics 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 owns 8,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,471,127.84. The trade was a 9.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,620 shares of company stock valued at $7,190,045. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DGX traded up $0.69 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $179.64. 618,899 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 990,355. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $173.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.49. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a twelve month low of $135.47 and a twelve month high of $182.38.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.81% and a return on equity of 15.11%. As a group, research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Investors of record on Monday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Quest Diagnostics's payout ratio is currently 40.46%.

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.