Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Stock Holdings Cut by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden Corp reduced its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 2.5%, owning approximately 82,620 shares valued at $14.8 million after selling 2,105 shares in the second quarter.
• Quest Diagnostics reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.62, exceeding analyst estimates, with revenues hitting $2.76 billion, a 15.2% increase compared to the prior year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.7%, with the ex-dividend date set for October 3rd.

Boston Trust Walden Corp lessened its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 2.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 82,620 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 2,105 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned about 0.07% of Quest Diagnostics worth $14,841,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 11,100.0% during the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 224 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $185.24 on Wednesday. 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 $146.91 and a 1 year high of $191.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $181.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.79. The firm has a market cap of $20.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.56.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.05. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.24% and a net margin of 9.01%.The business 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. Quest Diagnostics's quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.630-9.830 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DGX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $194.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Truist Financial set a $195.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays increased their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Baird R W lowered Quest Diagnostics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. One investment 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 company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $186.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 1,975 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,269 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,824,765. This represents a 11.45% 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, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 227 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.13, for a total transaction of $42,705.51. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,117 shares in the company, valued at $7,170,951.21. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,186 shares of company stock worth $9,647,471. Corporate insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Company 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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