Capital Insight Partners LLC Invests $359,000 in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Key Points

• Capital Insight Partners LLC has invested approximately $359,000 in Quest Diagnostics by acquiring 2,000 shares of the company during the 2nd quarter.
• Analysts show a mixed outlook for Quest Diagnostics, with a current consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $186.00.
• Quest Diagnostics recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, representing a dividend yield of 1.7%, payable on October 20th.

Capital Insight Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,000 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $359,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DGX. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% in the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 157.3% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on DGX shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $176.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 18th. Baird R W lowered Quest Diagnostics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Robert W. Baird reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $194.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $186.00.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 2.0%

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $189.19 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $178.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $146.17 and a 1-year high of $189.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.54.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.57 by $0.05. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.24% and a net margin of 9.01%.The firm had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.73 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.630-9.830 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.32%.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 175 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.02, for a total value of $32,728.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,128,641.34. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 1,975 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total transaction of $365,375.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,269 shares in the company, valued at $2,824,765. This trade represents a 11.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 52,959 shares of company stock valued at $9,604,766. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.

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