Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Decreases Stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR lessened its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,659 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 15,958 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DGX. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.5% in the first quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,410 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 5.9% in the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,059 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.6% in the first quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,513 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.8% in the first quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 1,421 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.5% in the first quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 1,549 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.4%

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $186.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $146.91 and a 1-year high of $191.49. The company has a market cap of $20.87 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $182.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $175.99.

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

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 3rd. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is presently 38.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Baird R W lowered Quest Diagnostics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Truist Financial set a $195.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.81.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 2,210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $375,700.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,436,500. The trade was a 20.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 1,975 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 owned 15,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,824,765. The trade was a 11.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,186 shares of company stock worth $9,647,471. 8.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.