2,207 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Shares Purchased by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 136.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,823 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,207 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $891,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Next Level Wealth Planning LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 492.9% during the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 166 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 22,105 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.02, for a total value of $5,482,482.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 71,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,844,790.98. This trade represents a 23.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Gary M. Pfeiffer sold 1,203 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.00, for a total value of $292,329.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 29,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,241,886. This trade represents a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 67,702 shares of company stock worth $16,730,269. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX opened at $259.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $171.18 and a fifty-two week high of $262.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $241.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $215.58. The firm has a market cap of $28.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.55.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.13. The company 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.60 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (a)” rating to a “buy (a+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, October 19th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $262.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. One equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $248.70.

Latest Quest Diagnostics News

Here’s some of the latest news about DGX:

• Positive Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance article says DGX could be 31% undervalued following a push for the RESULTS Act, providing a potentially supportive policy and valuation angle. Quest Diagnostics stock could be undervalued following RESULTS Act push
• 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

Quest Diagnostics 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.