Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 58.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,087 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 14,080 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $1,922,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 4,232 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. True North Advisors LLC lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 4.1% in the third quarter. True North Advisors LLC now owns 1,554 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 14.9% during the third quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 517 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 2.7% during the second quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 2,623 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Quest Diagnostics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — adjusted EPS $2.42 vs. consensus ~$2.35 and revenue of $2.81B (up 7.1% YoY); management highlighted rising test volumes that drove the beat. Q4 Results Release
• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized a $1.0 billion share repurchase (up to ~4.7% of shares), which supports EPS and signals management confidence in the stock. Buyback Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend increased 7.5% to $0.86 (15th consecutive year of raises), improving yield and making the stock more attractive to income investors. Dividend Hike Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts showing bullish activity — Barclays raised its price target to $225 with an Overweight rating and Morgan Stanley reiterated a Buy, both supporting upward momentum. Analyst Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Stock is at a 52‑week high and momentum-oriented coverage is highlighting that trend; this can attract momentum funds but can also set higher expectations. 52-Week High Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary on longer‑term growth drivers (e.g., blood-based Alzheimer’s testing) was reiterated — bullish for long-term revenue mix but not an immediate earnings driver. CEO Alzheimer’s Comment
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 reported EPS guidance (9.45–9.65) was below some prior consensus estimates (market consensus cited ~10.4), which could cap near-term multiple expansion despite an improved adjusted EPS range. Investors should watch how the market weighs reported vs. adjusted guidance. Guidance Details

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.76, for a total transaction of $239,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,037 shares in the company, valued at $3,267,015.12. The trade was a 6.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 7,946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.35, for a total transaction of $1,488,683.10. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,410,745.50. This trade represents a 51.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 64,289 shares of company stock valued at $12,318,360. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on DGX. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. UBS Group upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $219.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $207.27.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of DGX stock opened at $209.31 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.92, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.66. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $157.20 and a 52-week high of $210.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company’s 50 day moving average is $182.31 and its 200 day moving average is $181.96.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.07. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 8.99%.The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.23 EPS. The business’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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to purchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be issued a $0.86 dividend. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.31%.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.