Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Has $12.98 Million Stock Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 4,796.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,022 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 84,265 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned about 0.08% of Quest Diagnostics worth $12,977,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $355,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 980.3% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 24,198 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 21,958 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Clean Yield Group grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 26,428 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,987,000 after buying an additional 3,983 shares during the period. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,345,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX traded up $0.68 during trading on Friday, reaching $176.58. 545,964 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 968,876. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $169.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $162.75. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12 month low of $135.47 and a 12 month high of $179.32. The firm has a market cap of $19.71 billion, a PE ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 15.07%. Research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 535 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.71, for a total transaction of $90,794.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 71,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,109,826.76. This trade represents a 0.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction 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 approximately $21,499,370.58. This trade represents a 23.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 54,250 shares of company stock valued at $9,188,295 in the last quarter. Insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DGX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Citigroup downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $195.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.