Candriam S.C.A. Sells 12,885 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Candriam S.C.A. cut its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 4.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 265,771 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 12,885 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.24% of Quest Diagnostics worth $47,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 18,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 185 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter valued at $35,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 101.9% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 323 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1,495.2% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 335 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 227 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.13, for a total value of $42,705.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 38,117 shares in the company, valued at $7,170,951.21. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gary M. Pfeiffer sold 1,482 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.40, for a total value of $270,316.80. Following the sale, the director directly owned 29,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,368,214.40. This represents a 4.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 38,654 shares of company stock valued at $7,189,232 over the last ninety days. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 1.0%

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $187.04 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $20.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $182.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.11. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $148.70 and a one year high of $197.55.

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

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is presently 37.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on DGX. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $194.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. One research 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 data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.31.

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.