Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Sells 21,269 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 9.7% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 198,457 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 21,269 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $35,649,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. 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 in the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth about $29,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in 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 buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 80.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 319 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

DGX opened at $186.13 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $20.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.58. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $148.70 and a 12-month high of $197.55. The business has a 50 day moving average of $183.04 and a 200-day moving average of $178.30.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.47% and a net margin of 8.91%.The business had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.30 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is 37.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on DGX shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $196.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 28,288 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.12, for a total transaction of $5,293,250.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 38,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,132,453.04. This trade represents a 42.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 1,975 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total value of $365,375.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,824,765. The trade was a 11.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 32,147 shares of company stock valued at $6,004,376 in the last three months. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.