Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Stock Holdings Lifted by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 12.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 67,692 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 7,678 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Quest Diagnostics worth $14,347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Key Financial Inc grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 1,728.6% during the first quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 128 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $235.68 on Thursday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $171.18 and a 52-week high of $247.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.01 billion, a PE ratio of 25.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $229.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $209.00.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 9.18%.Quest Diagnostics’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be given a $0.86 dividend. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 36.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DGX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Mark Delaney sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.18, for a total transaction of $376,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,335 shares in the company, valued at $2,430,585.30. The trade was a 13.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Michael Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total value of $5,513,005.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 37,557 shares in the company, valued at $9,130,482.27. This trade represents a 37.65% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 34,277 shares of company stock valued at $8,316,493. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Profile

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) is a provider of diagnostic information services. The company performs laboratory testing used to help diagnose, monitor and manage diseases and other health conditions, serving physicians, hospitals, health plans, employers, government agencies and individual consumers.

Its services include routine blood and urine testing, advanced and esoteric diagnostics, molecular and genetic testing, anatomic pathology, cancer testing, drug screening and wellness-related assessments.