Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX – Free Report) by 257.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,416 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 2,461 shares during the quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Net Worth Advisory Group boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 7,129 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,662,000 after acquiring an additional 2,296 shares during the last quarter. Focused Alpha LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 50.6% in the 3rd quarter. Focused Alpha LLC now owns 4,509 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,051,000 after acquiring an additional 1,515 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 47.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 23,513 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,480,000 after acquiring an additional 7,514 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter worth $4,121,000. Finally, Greg Jennings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the third quarter valued at about $764,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Quest Diagnostics News
Here are the key news stories impacting Quest Diagnostics this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter results beat estimates: Quest reported adjusted EPS of $3.00 versus the $2.87 consensus and revenue of $3.10 billion versus expectations of $3.05 billion. Revenue increased 10% year over year, while adjusted EPS rose 15.4%, reflecting stronger testing demand and margin improvement. Quest Diagnostics Reports Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- Positive Sentiment: Full-year guidance was raised: Quest now expects 2026 revenue of $12.065 billion to $12.105 billion and adjusted EPS of $11.25 to $11.35, above consensus estimates of approximately $12.0 billion and $11.19, respectively. Organic requisition volume rose 14.4% in the quarter, and consumer-health revenue is expected to grow more than 30% for the year. Quest Diagnostics Earnings Takeaways
- Positive Sentiment: Valuation and momentum remain supportive: Coverage characterized DGX as potentially undervalued following the guidance increase, while Zacks highlighted the company’s long-term momentum profile. Quest Diagnostics Could Be Undervalued
- Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $245 from $232 but maintained a Hold rating, indicating improved expectations without a clear bullish endorsement. Deutsche Bank Adjusts Quest Diagnostics Price Target
- Negative Sentiment: Patient-data breach creates a major overhang: Quest disclosed unauthorized access to its Quanum Lab Services Manager, a system used to order tests and access results. The company confirmed that personal and health information was compromised, potentially exposing it to regulatory scrutiny, litigation, remediation costs, and reputational damage. Quest Diagnostics Patient Data Breach
Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.7%
DGX stock opened at $241.49 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $216.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $171.18 and a 1-year high of $248.84. The stock has a market cap of $26.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.54.
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $3.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.13. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.21% and a net margin of 9.53%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.60 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.23 EPS for the current year.
Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 6th were issued a $0.86 dividend. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 36.52%.
Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics
In related news, SVP Mark Delaney sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.18, for a total transaction of $376,288.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 10,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,430,585.30. This represents a 13.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO J. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.72, for a total transaction of $2,427,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 122,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,714,510.56. This trade represents a 7.55% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 34,277 shares of company stock worth $8,316,493. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
DGX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $262.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $244.27.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Quest Diagnostics
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) is a provider of diagnostic information services. The company performs laboratory testing that helps physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers diagnose, treat and monitor diseases and health conditions. Its services include routine blood and other specimen testing, pathology, molecular and genetic testing, and specialized diagnostic services.
Quest Diagnostics serves a broad range of customers, including hospitals, physician practices, health plans, employers, government agencies and individual consumers.
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