Candriam S.C.A. Has $13.69 Million Stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 73.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,819 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 193,952 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.06% of Quest Diagnostics worth $13,687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Fielder Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the third quarter worth approximately $217,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 4,278 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 34.8% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 906 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $171,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 19.1% during the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 2,495 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $475,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 131.6% in the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 28,800 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,439,000 after buying an additional 16,365 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 7.2%

Shares of DGX stock opened at $204.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $22.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.06, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.66. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $157.20 and a 52-week high of $207.05. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $181.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.77.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.47% and a net margin of 8.91%.The company’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.23 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. Research 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 authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 10th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical research company to purchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be given a dividend of $0.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 37.56%.

Key Quest Diagnostics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: adjusted EPS of $2.42 topped estimates and revenue of $2.81B was up 7.1% year-over-year, driven by stronger test volumes and price/mix. This is the core catalyst cited by multiple outlets. Yahoo Finance: Q4 Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder-return boost: board raised the quarterly dividend 7.5% to $0.86 and authorized an additional $1.0B in share repurchases — a clear positive for income and buyback-driven EPS support. PR Newswire: Dividend & Repurchase
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market reaction: shares hit a 52‑week high and Citigroup raised its price target to $215 (neutral rating), reflecting positive reception to the quarter and capital return actions. MSN: 52-week high Benzinga: Citi PT raise
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth potential: CEO comments on developing blood-based Alzheimer’s diagnostics highlight a potential new growth avenue if tests gain clinical adoption and reimbursement. YouTube: CEO on Alzheimer’s testing
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials and call: company released the earnings press release, slide deck and full transcript; management reiterated drivers (volume growth, pricing, cost control) that investors will parse for sustainability. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance is mixed: FY2026 reported diluted EPS guidance of $9.45–$9.65 (and adjusted EPS ranges detailed in the release) may sit below some street estimates, creating a risk that analysts trim expectations despite the quarter. PR Newswire: Q4 Results & Guidance

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 55,093 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.22, for a total value of $10,589,976.46. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 120,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,158,665.60. The trade was a 31.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the 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 transaction, the director directly owned 17,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,267,015.12. This represents a 6.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 64,289 shares of company stock worth $12,318,360 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Barclays upgraded Quest Diagnostics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Citigroup increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $201.00.

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.