Cambiar Investors LLC Decreases Stock Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Cambiar Investors LLC lessened its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 31.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,831 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 21,899 shares during the quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $8,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 18,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 185 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 101.9% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 323 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:DGX opened at $175.93 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $148.70 and a 1-year high of $197.55. The company has a 50-day moving average of $182.51 and a 200 day moving average of $177.40. The firm has a market cap of $19.57 billion, a PE ratio of 20.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.56. 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 released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd were issued 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 was Friday, October 3rd. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DGX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Leerink Partners upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $196.31.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, Director Gary M. Pfeiffer sold 1,482 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.40, for a total transaction of $270,316.80. Following the sale, the director owned 29,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,368,214.40. This trade represents a 4.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,535 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $968,625.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,219 shares in the company, valued at $3,363,325. This trade represents a 22.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 44,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,157,857 over the last ninety days. 8.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.