Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Makes New Investment in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 6,686 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,417,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth about $253,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter worth $288,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth $56,878,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth $91,000. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at $825,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Quest Diagnostics stock opened at $236.71 on Wednesday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $171.18 and a one year high of $240.13. The company has a market cap of $26.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.13, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $217.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $204.06.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.30. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.62 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be given a dividend of $0.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 1,600 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.18, for a total value of $376,288.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,335 shares in the company, valued at $2,430,585.30. The trade was a 13.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,629,400.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,510 shares in the company, valued at $2,702,000. This 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,747 shares of company stock worth $3,947,088. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on DGX shares. Weiss Ratings raised Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Barclays increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.31.

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.