SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Stock Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 205.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,219 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 28,382 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $7,584,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% in the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake 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 period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1,495.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 1,975 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total transaction of $365,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,824,765. The trade was a 11.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary M. Pfeiffer sold 1,482 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.40, for a total transaction of $270,316.80. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,368,214.40. This represents a 4.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 36,679 shares of company stock worth $6,833,732 over the last three months. 8.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $186.97 on Monday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $148.70 and a 52-week high of $197.55. The company has a market cap of $20.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.94, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $182.97 and its 200 day moving average is $178.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

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

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on DGX. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $194.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, August 25th. Barclays lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.31.

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.