Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Shares Sold by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 9.1% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 6,439 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 644 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% during the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 18,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 185 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 101.9% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 323 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1,495.2% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 335 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 2.5%

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $188.85 on Wednesday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a twelve month low of $148.70 and a twelve month high of $197.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $21.01 billion, a PE ratio of 22.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $182.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.04.

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

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DGX. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $196.31.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 28,288 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,132,453.04. This represents a 42.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary M. Pfeiffer sold 1,482 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director owned 29,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,368,214.40. This trade represents a 4.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 38,654 shares of company stock worth $7,189,232 in the last 90 days. 8.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Quest Diagnostics 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.