Compass Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,564 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $679,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 18,400.0% in the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 185 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Rexford Capital Inc. bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX stock opened at $202.28 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $185.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $183.61. The stock has a market cap of $22.50 billion, a PE ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.66. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $157.20 and a one year high of $213.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

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

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

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.57%.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,267,015.12. This represents a 6.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 1,433 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total value of $293,521.39. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,010,781.66. This represents a 2.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 65,507 shares of company stock worth $12,702,039. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup upped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $219.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $210.29.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

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.