Strs Ohio Has $3.18 Million Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Strs Ohio lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,721 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 1,968 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $3,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 5.9% during the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,059 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $179,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.6% during the first quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,513 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,948,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Tradewinds LLC. increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.5% during the first quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 1,549 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.7% during the second quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 2,623 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 0.6% in the second quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 10,789 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,938,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DGX opened at $179.04 on Tuesday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $148.70 and a fifty-two week high of $197.55. The stock has a market cap of $19.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.01, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.56. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $182.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.59.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly 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. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 15.47%. The business had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.760-9.840 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd were given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.56%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,535 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $968,625.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,363,325. This trade represents a 22.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 28,288 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $7,132,453.04. The trade was a 42.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 44,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,157,857. 8.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DGX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.