Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Stock Holdings Boosted by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 0.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,251,632 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,056 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 12.81% of Quest Diagnostics worth $2,716,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth approximately $238,122,000. M&G PLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 256.5% during 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 period. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 32.4% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,039,848 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $545,318,000 after purchasing an additional 744,102 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2,531.6% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 450,898 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $85,932,000 after purchasing an additional 433,764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 36.3% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,599,602 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $287,337,000 after purchasing an additional 426,399 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DGX. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Robert W. Baird set a $219.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore set a $220.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $210.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.76, for a total value of $239,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,267,015.12. This represents a 6.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 55,093 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 120,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,158,665.60. This represents a 31.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 62,005 shares of company stock worth $11,984,724. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $204.50 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.37, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.66. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $157.20 and a 1-year high of $213.20. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $184.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $183.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 8.99%.The company’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.23 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.57%.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to buy up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.