Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) SVP Sells $1,488,683.10 in Stock

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Mark Delaney sold 7,946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.35, for a total value of $1,488,683.10. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,410,745.50. This represents a 51.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of DGX traded up $1.67 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $187.63. 1,104,398 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,106,740. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $183.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $178.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.87 billion, a PE ratio of 22.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.58. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $148.70 and a 52-week high of $197.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The medical research company reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.09. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 15.47%. The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.30 EPS. Quest Diagnostics’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.760-9.840 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Leerink Partners raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.31.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.