Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 106,581 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,590,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned 0.10% of Quest Diagnostics at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Key Financial Inc boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 492.9% during the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 166 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics
In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,147 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,510 shares in the company, valued at $2,702,000. This trade represents a 37.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.18, for a total value of $376,288.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 10,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,430,585.30. This trade represents a 13.41% 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 19,747 shares of company stock valued at $3,947,088. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.
Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.0%
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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.30. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 9.18%.The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid 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 is Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.52%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Argus set a $260.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.31.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Quest Diagnostics
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.
Featured Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Quest Diagnostics
- 3 Energy Stocks Raising Dividends as the Sector Surges
- 5 Reasons the S&P 500 Could Keep Rallying Through Year-End
- Walmart’s Post-Earnings Drop Could Be a Buying Opportunity
- The Trade Desk’s Earnings Miss Raises a Bigger Question About Its AI Future
Receive News & Ratings for Quest Diagnostics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Quest Diagnostics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
