M.D. Sass LLC Invests $58.69 Million in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

M.D. Sass LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 299,459 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,688,000. Quest Diagnostics accounts for about 4.4% of M.D. Sass LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $323,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 4,003 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $287,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 14,339 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,576,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 18,599 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,341,000 after buying an additional 2,718 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.14, for a total value of $1,941,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 132,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,708,601.22. The trade was a 7.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,629,400.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,702,000. This trade represents a 37.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.36.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $227.51 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $202.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $197.37. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $165.78 and a one year high of $237.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market cap of $25.19 billion, a PE ratio of 25.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.58.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 9.07%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 10.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 8th were paid a $0.86 dividend. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 8th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 38.01%.

More Quest Diagnostics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Quest Diagnostics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quest Diagnostics beat Q2 expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $3.12 versus estimates around $2.82-$2.81 and revenue of $3.04 billion versus about $2.97 billion expected, helped by stronger routine and preventive testing demand. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 guidance, now expecting adjusted EPS of $11.05-$11.25 and revenue of $11.95 billion-$12.05 billion, both above prior expectations, which signals management sees the current demand strength continuing. Press release
• Positive Sentiment: Management and third-party coverage highlighted growing consumer interest in preventive health tests, suggesting Quest Diagnostics is benefiting from a favorable secular trend beyond one quarter’s results. Benzinga article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors also focused on the Q2 earnings call transcript and presentation for details on margins, testing volumes, and the updated outlook, but the main takeaway remains the earnings beat and guidance raise. Earnings call transcript

Quest Diagnostics 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.