Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX Shares Sold by Advisors Asset Management Inc.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,542 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 3,678 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $3,343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter worth $238,122,000. M&G PLC raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 256.5% in the 2nd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 1,072,721 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $193,090,000 after purchasing an additional 771,824 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 32.4% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,039,848 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $545,318,000 after purchasing an additional 744,102 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2,531.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 450,898 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $85,932,000 after purchasing an additional 433,764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 36.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,599,602 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $287,337,000 after purchasing an additional 426,399 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

More Quest Diagnostics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Better-than-expected Q4 results and 2026 guidance: Q4 EPS $2.42 vs. $2.35 est., revenue $2.81B vs. $2.75B est., and FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $9.45–$9.65 — supports the recent run to a 12‑month high. Quest Diagnostics Hits New 12-Month High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: $1.0 billion share repurchase authorization (~4.7% of shares outstanding): board buyback typically supports EPS and signals management thinks shares are undervalued. Quest Diagnostics Board Approves Stock Repurchase Program
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: quarterly dividend raised to $0.86 (annualized $3.44), up from $0.80 — incremental income support and a sign of confidence in cash flow. Quest Diagnostics Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To $0.86
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: Mizuho upgraded to Buy and raised its target to $235 (largest recent target raise), and Citigroup published a constructive price‑appreciation forecast — these lifts can attract demand and support the stock. Quest Diagnostics Gets a Buy from Mizuho Securities Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Quest Diagnostics
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/mean‑reversion questions: coverage pieces note DGX is at a 52‑week high and review whether recent strength is sustainable — useful for gauging risk/reward but not new fundamental data. Can the Run Continue?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares (~27% of his holding) at about $204 — insider sales can be viewed negatively by some investors even when proceeds are routine. SVP Patrick Plewman Sells 5,662 Shares

Insider Activity 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 shares were sold at an average price of $191.76, for a total transaction of $239,700.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,267,015.12. This trade represents a 6.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 55,093 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 120,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,158,665.60. This represents a 31.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 69,951 shares of company stock valued at $13,473,408. 8.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DGX has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $219.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $220.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $208.93.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:DGX opened at $206.66 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $22.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 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 quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $182.51.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.23 EPS. Quest Diagnostics’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 10th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding 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 often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 36.57%.

Quest Diagnostics 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.