Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Buys 2,935 Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 100.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,848 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 2,935 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,292 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Ossiam raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 6.1% in the third quarter. Ossiam now owns 1,059 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 4,298 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $746,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 4,180 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $725,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:DGX opened at $211.55 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $23.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.59. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $164.65 and a fifty-two week high of $214.21. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $196.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.32.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The medical research company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.13. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 9.07%.The firm had revenue of $2.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.630-10.830 EPS. Analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 10.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th will be paid a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 38.01%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,629,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,702,000. The trade was a 37.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.14, for a total transaction of $1,941,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 132,423 shares in the company, valued at $25,708,601.22. This represents 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. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DGX. 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 report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $224.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $216.58.

Quest Diagnostics Company 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.