Tredje AP fonden Buys 2,490 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Tredje AP fonden increased its position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 8.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 32,591 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,490 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $6,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the third quarter worth $282,000. Northern Financial Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the third quarter worth about $230,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 50.9% in the third quarter. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd now owns 12,081 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,302,000 after purchasing an additional 4,074 shares during the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth about $679,000. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 17.9% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 4,780 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $911,000 after acquiring an additional 727 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on DGX shares. Evercore set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $219.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $210.29.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.76, for a total transaction of $239,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,267,015.12. This trade represents a 6.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total transaction of $1,155,048.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,137,724. This trade represents a 26.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 65,507 shares of company stock valued at $12,702,039 over the last three months. Insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $202.28 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 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 business’s 50-day moving average is $185.58 and its 200-day moving average is $183.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

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

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be issued a $0.86 dividend. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.57%.

Quest Diagnostics announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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 purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.