Simplicity Wealth LLC Acquires New Stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 22,182 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,702,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth about $323,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.6% in the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 4,003 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $719,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at approximately $287,000. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 7.2% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 14,339 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,576,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 17.1% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 18,599 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,341,000 after purchasing an additional 2,718 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Quest Diagnostics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Quest Diagnostics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Broad-based earnings estimate increases: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $11.15 from $10.66, FY2027 to $11.71 from $11.50, and FY2028 to $12.90 from $12.50. The firm also increased estimates for Q3 and Q4 2026, Q1 through Q3 2027, and Q1 and Q2 2028. These revisions suggest improving expectations for Quest Diagnostics’ earnings growth. MarketBeat analyst estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum remains favorable: A Zacks analysis highlighted DGX’s 2.29% weekly gain and evaluated whether the stock can continue to attract momentum investors. The coverage may reinforce positive sentiment following the recent advance. Quest Diagnostics Is Up 2.29% in One Week
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend support: Quest Diagnostics declared a quarterly dividend of $0.86 per share, payable October 21 to shareholders of record October 6. The annualized yield is approximately 1.5%, providing ongoing shareholder income. Quest Diagnostics dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: One estimate was lowered: Zacks reduced its Q4 2027 EPS forecast to $2.90 from $3.05, partially offsetting the otherwise positive revisions. The firm’s full-year 2027 and 2028 forecasts nevertheless remain higher than its previous estimates.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE DGX opened at $234.48 on Monday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $171.18 and a 52 week high of $240.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $215.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $203.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.88 billion, a PE ratio of 24.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.56.

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

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.14, for a total transaction of $1,941,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 132,423 shares in the company, valued at $25,708,601.22. This trade represents a 7.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,430,585.30. This trade represents a 13.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 sold 19,747 shares of company stock worth $3,947,088. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on DGX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Argus set a $260.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.31.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.