XTX Topco Ltd Acquires 3,811 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

XTX Topco Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 127.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,791 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,811 shares during the quarter. XTX Topco Ltd’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 2.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,921,955 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,853,151,000 after buying an additional 345,754 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,632,326 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $362,945,000 after purchasing an additional 18,533 shares during the period. Davis Selected Advisers raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 0.4% in the second quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 2,390,828 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $327,257,000 after purchasing an additional 9,665 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 6.5% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,109,515 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $288,758,000 after purchasing an additional 129,395 shares during the period. Finally, Nuance Investments LLC grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 13.1% during the first quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 681,636 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $90,733,000 after buying an additional 79,152 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $153.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $144.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.33.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,756,206.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 420 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.08, for a total transaction of $60,093.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $718,118.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,756,206.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $152.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $17.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.89. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $119.59 and a 12-month high of $159.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.35% and a net margin of 8.99%. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.38%.

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.