27,262 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Shares Sold by Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. decreased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 195,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 27,262 shares during the quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. owned approximately 0.18% of Quest Diagnostics worth $45,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,965,923,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 35.1% in the first quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 2,243,869 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $439,753,000 after purchasing an additional 582,797 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 0.9% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,949,535 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $382,085,000 after buying an additional 17,987 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth $410,151,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 11.3% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 942,407 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $199,743,000 after acquiring an additional 95,804 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on DGX. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (a)” rating to a “buy (a+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $248.70.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 11,717 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.34, for a total transaction of $3,015,252.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,778,780.56. The trade was a 44.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 dated Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total transaction of $5,513,005.47. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 37,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,130,482.27. The trade was a 37.65% 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. Insiders sold 67,702 shares of company stock worth $16,730,269 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of DGX stock opened at $259.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.55. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1 year low of $171.18 and a 1 year high of $262.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $241.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $215.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $3.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.21% and a net margin of 9.53%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.29 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 12th will be given a $0.86 dividend. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 12th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.26%.

Latest Quest Diagnostics News

Investors following DGX have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several earnings forecasts, including its FY2026 EPS estimate to $11.28 from $11.15 and its Q2 2027 estimate to $3.09 from $2.99. The improved forecasts may support investor confidence, though the FY2026 estimate remains close to the $11.29 consensus.
• Positive Sentiment: Quest announced a quarterly dividend of $0.86 per share, equivalent to $3.44 annually and a stated yield of about 1.3%. The announcement coincided with DGX reaching a new one-year high. Quest Diagnostics hits a one-year high following dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: SVP Patrick Plewman sold 11,717 shares for about $3.02 million, reducing his holdings by 44.38%. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which makes it a less definitive signal about his view of the company. Quest Diagnostics insider share sale

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a provider of diagnostic information services, conducting laboratory tests that help physicians and other health care professionals diagnose, monitor and manage medical conditions. Its services include routine blood and other clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, and specialized molecular and genetic testing. The company serves patients, physicians, hospitals, health plans, employers and government organizations. In addition to testing performed through its laboratories and patient service centers, Quest offers services such as workplace drug testing and diagnostic support for clinical research.