Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) SVP Sells $5,513,005.47 in Stock

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Michael Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total transaction of $5,513,005.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 37,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,130,482.27. The trade was a 37.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

NYSE DGX opened at $240.72 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $226.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $207.88. The stock has a market cap of $26.57 billion, a PE ratio of 25.55, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.59. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $171.18 and a fifty-two week high of $247.19.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.62 EPS. 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be paid a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DGX shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.31.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Ossiam boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ossiam now owns 1,059 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,183 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,099,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 4,298 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $746,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, PFG Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,453 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.