Commerce Bank acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 38,935 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,252,000.
Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DGX. Davis Selected Advisers increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 1,589,883 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $275,895,000 after buying an additional 228,271 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 178.7% in the fourth quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 171,987 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $29,847,000 after acquiring an additional 110,280 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 39.1% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 15,405 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,265,000 after acquiring an additional 4,334 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 313,838 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,460,000 after acquiring an additional 16,194 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at about $92,000. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.
Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics
In other news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 $25,708,601.22. The trade was a 7.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 19,747 shares of company stock worth $3,947,088 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.
Quest Diagnostics Price Performance
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. Quest Diagnostics’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 EPS for the current year.
Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be given a dividend of $0.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.52%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
DGX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Argus set a $260.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.31.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on DGX
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.
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