Boston Partners Has $545.32 Million Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 32.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,039,848 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 744,102 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned about 2.72% of Quest Diagnostics worth $545,318,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,233,576 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,556,777,000 after purchasing an additional 296,860 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 9.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,984,238 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,012,534,000 after buying an additional 493,960 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 7.5% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,982,415 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $533,563,000 after acquiring an additional 208,261 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 7.7% during the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,177,572 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $199,245,000 after acquiring an additional 84,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&G PLC raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 256.5% in the 2nd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 1,072,721 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $193,090,000 after acquiring an additional 771,824 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $192.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $21.40 billion, a PE ratio of 22.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.58. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1 year low of $148.70 and a 1 year high of $197.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $183.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.80.

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

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 7,946 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.35, for a total transaction of $1,488,683.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,410,745.50. This trade represents a 51.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 227 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,170,951.21. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 38,118 shares of company stock worth $7,127,684. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho raised their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.31.

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.