Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 265,771 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 12,885 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $47,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 16,761 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,011,000 after buying an additional 727 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 7.5% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,982,415 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $533,563,000 after acquiring an additional 208,261 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 9.0% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 41,112 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $7,385,000 after acquiring an additional 3,399 shares during the period. M&G PLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 256.5% in the 2nd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 1,072,721 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $193,090,000 after purchasing an additional 771,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 22,400 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,024,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 1.0%

DGX stock opened at $187.04 on Thursday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $148.70 and a 12-month high of $197.55. The business’s 50-day moving average is $182.75 and its 200 day moving average is $178.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $20.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.95, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 37.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on DGX. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.31.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, Director Gary M. Pfeiffer sold 1,482 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.40, for a total value of $270,316.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 29,431 shares in the company, valued at $5,368,214.40. This represents a 4.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 1,975 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total transaction of $365,375.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,269 shares in the company, valued at $2,824,765. The trade was a 11.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 38,654 shares of company stock valued at $7,189,232 over the last 90 days. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.