Sivik Global Healthcare LLC Sells 5,000 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Sivik Global Healthcare LLC cut its holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the quarter. Quest Diagnostics makes up 1.1% of Sivik Global Healthcare LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $3,812,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DGX. G&S Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,262,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2,531.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 450,898 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $85,932,000 after acquiring an additional 433,764 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 19,378 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,279,000 after acquiring an additional 1,745 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 144.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 14,424 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,749,000 after purchasing an additional 8,518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the third quarter valued at about $1,452,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of DGX opened at $180.31 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $181.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $179.67. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12 month low of $148.70 and a 12 month high of $197.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.64.

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

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is presently 37.56%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, Director Gary M. Pfeiffer sold 1,482 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.40, for a total transaction of $270,316.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,368,214.40. This represents a 4.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 55,093 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.22, for a total transaction of $10,589,976.46. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 120,480 shares in the company, valued at $23,158,665.60. This trade represents a 31.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 65,771 shares of company stock valued at $12,588,676 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DGX. Wall Street Zen cut Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Truist Financial lifted 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. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $197.27.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a leading provider of diagnostic information services that supports clinical decision-making for patients, physicians and healthcare organizations. The company operates a network of clinical laboratories and patient service centers that perform a broad range of laboratory tests and diagnostic assays used in routine care, disease diagnosis, monitoring and screening.

Its services span core clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, molecular and genomic diagnostics, infectious disease testing and toxicology.