Victory Capital Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Victory Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 16.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,343,974 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 465,252 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $446,715,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 18,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 185 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Rexford Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $219.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $210.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 1,111 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total transaction of $227,566.13. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,371 shares in the company, valued at $7,859,531.93. The trade was a 2.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 1,433 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total transaction of $293,521.39. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,010,781.66. This represents a 2.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,164 shares of company stock valued at $1,872,363. 8.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Quest Diagnostics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near? and longer?term EPS estimates for DGX — including Q1 2026 to $2.37 (from $2.32), FY2026 to $10.57 (from $10.26), FY2027 to $11.42 (from $11.21) and FY2028 to $12.54 — and bumped several quarterly forecasts across 2026–2027. These upgrades signal stronger expected earnings trajectory and can support higher valuation and buy-side interest.
• Positive Sentiment: Product/strategy: Quest launched “Quest AI Companion,” an AI chat feature (built on Google’s Gemini) to help patients interpret up to five years of lab data and take action with providers — a service that could increase patient engagement, stickiness, and potentially testing volume or value?added service revenue. Quest Diagnostics Introduces AI Companion
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and positioning: DGX trades with a P/E near 24 and is close to its 52?week high; while stronger EPS outlook supports upside, elevated valuation and limited near?term margin surprise could temper upside for some investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

NYSE DGX opened at $210.14 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $23.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.65. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $157.20 and a 52-week high of $213.50. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $189.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $185.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.07. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 8.99%.The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 6th will be given a $0.86 dividend. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 36.57%.

Quest Diagnostics announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical research company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.