Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) SVP Sells $42,705.51 in Stock

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Michael Prevoznik sold 227 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.13, for a total transaction of $42,705.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,170,951.21. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $180.88 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $179.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $174.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $146.17 and a 52-week high of $191.49. The company has a market cap of $20.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.66, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.56.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.57 by $0.05. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 15.24%. The firm had revenue of $2.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.35 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.630-9.830 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 38.32%.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% in the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 157.3% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on DGX shares. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $176.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Evercore ISI set a $185.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.31.

Quest Diagnostics Company 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.