First Trust Advisors LP Has $64.51 Million Stock Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 6.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 329,152 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 22,557 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $64,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DGX. Key Financial Inc increased its position 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE DGX opened at $228.05 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $165.78 and a 52-week high of $237.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.59. The business has a fifty day moving average of $203.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $197.59. The stock has a market cap of $25.25 billion, a PE ratio of 24.21, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.58.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th were paid a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 8th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.73.

Key Stories Impacting Quest Diagnostics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quest Diagnostics posted Q2 results that beat Wall Street expectations on both revenue and earnings, helped by stronger demand for routine diagnostic and preventive testing. The company also raised its full-year 2026 outlook, which investors are reading as evidence that growth is holding up well. Article: Quest Diagnostics Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results; Raises Revenue and EPS Guidance for Full Year 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on DGX to $260 and kept an outperform rating, signaling confidence that the company can still outperform from here. Article: Quest Diagnostics price target raised by Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Truist also lifted its target to $250, while Robert W. Baird increased its target to $255, reflecting continued analyst optimism after the earnings beat and raised guidance. Article: Quest Diagnostics price target raised by Truist Financial Corporation
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market commentary pieces highlighted DGX as a momentum stock and noted the shares recently reached a 52-week high. That supports bullish sentiment, but these articles are mostly follow-up coverage rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Article: Are You Looking for a Top Momentum Pick? Why Quest Diagnostics (DGX) Is a Great Choice

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.14, for a total transaction of $1,941,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 132,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,708,601.22. This trade represents a 7.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,147 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,629,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,702,000. This trade represents a 37.62% 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. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.