Ascent Group LLC Has $1.71 Million Stock Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,498 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 28,288 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.12, for a total transaction of $5,293,250.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 38,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,132,453.04. The trade was a 42.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,269 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.40, for a total value of $1,384,230.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,784,484. The trade was a 43.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,186 shares of company stock worth $9,647,471. Corporate insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Baird R W cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Evercore ISI set a $185.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $194.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, August 25th. One research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.31.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 1.0%

DGX stock opened at $179.07 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $179.92 and a 200-day moving average of $175.09. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $146.17 and a fifty-two week high of $191.49. The company has a market capitalization of $20.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.45, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.09.

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

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 3rd. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 38.32%.

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.