Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Holdings Lowered by Willis Investment Counsel

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

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DGX. Key Financial Inc grew its stake 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. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 492.9% in the first 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. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth about $46,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on DGX. Argus set a $260.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays lifted 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. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.23.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Mark Delaney sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,430,585.30. This trade represents a 13.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO J. Davis sold 10,000 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.72, for a total transaction of $2,427,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,714,510.56. The trade was a 7.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 34,277 shares of company stock valued at $8,316,493. 0.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.6%

DGX stock traded up $1.35 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $236.26. 294,712 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 973,814. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $171.18 and a one year high of $248.84. 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 company has a market cap of $26.08 billion, a PE ratio of 25.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.54. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $237.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $215.75.

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

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

Quest Diagnostics Company 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.