Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Decreases Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lessened its position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 69,152 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 7,034 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV owned approximately 0.06% of Quest Diagnostics worth $10,432,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total value of $6,602,115.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 127,623 shares in the company, valued at $21,499,370.58. The trade was a 23.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,370 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.13, for a total value of $935,078.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,852,680.84. The trade was a 7.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 54,250 shares of company stock valued at $9,188,295. 8.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock traded up $0.68 during trading on Friday, hitting $176.58. 545,964 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 968,876. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $162.75. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1 year low of $135.47 and a 1 year high of $179.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52. 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 posted 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. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%. The company had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DGX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Redburn Atlantic started 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. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Eight 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $185.73.

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.