Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Stock Sold by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel cut its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 22.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 117,200 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 34,300 shares during the period. Quest Diagnostics comprises approximately 1.2% of Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Willis Investment Counsel owned approximately 0.11% of Quest Diagnostics worth $27,316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Key Financial Inc grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1,728.6% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX traded up $1.35 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $236.26. The company had a trading volume of 294,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 973,814. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a twelve month low of $171.18 and a twelve month high of $248.84. The company has a market capitalization of $26.08 billion, a PE ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $237.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $215.75.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced 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. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.62 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be paid a $0.86 dividend. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.52%.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, CEO J. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 122,423 shares in the company, valued at $29,714,510.56. The trade was a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Michael Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total value of $5,513,005.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 37,557 shares in the company, valued at $9,130,482.27. This trade represents a 37.65% 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. Insiders sold a total of 34,277 shares of company stock worth $8,316,493 over the last 90 days. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on DGX shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Argus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $238.23.

Quest Diagnostics Profile

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.