Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) SVP Michael Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total transaction of $5,513,005.47. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 37,557 shares in the company, valued at $9,130,482.27. The trade was a 37.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.7%
Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $240.96 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $224.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $207.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $26.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.56. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $171.18 and a 52 week high of $247.19.
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.30. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 9.18%.The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.62 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics's revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 earnings per share for the current year.
Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be paid a $0.86 dividend. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics's payout ratio is currently 36.52%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research firms recently commented on DGX. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $235.31.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Quest Diagnostics
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at about $323,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 4.6% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 4,003 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth about $287,000. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 14,339 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,576,000 after acquiring an additional 962 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 18,599 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,341,000 after acquiring an additional 2,718 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Quest Diagnostics Company Profile
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Get Free Report)
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a leading provider of diagnostic information services that supports clinical decision-making for patients, physicians and healthcare organizations. The company operates a network of clinical laboratories and patient service centers that perform a broad range of laboratory tests and diagnostic assays used in routine care, disease diagnosis, monitoring and screening.
Its services span core clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, molecular and genomic diagnostics, infectious disease testing and toxicology.
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