KBC Group NV Has $9.77 Million Stock Holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 56,314 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,560 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $9,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 113.7% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 3,878 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.21, for a total transaction of $799,682.38. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 37,557 shares in the company, valued at $7,744,628.97. This represents a 9.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total transaction of $1,155,048.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,137,724. The trade was a 26.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 24,083 shares of company stock worth $4,945,262. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on DGX. Robert W. Baird set a $219.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price target 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. Evercore set a $210.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $210.69.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $194.88 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $200.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.68. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12-month low of $160.02 and a 12-month high of $213.50. The firm has a market cap of $21.57 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.23 EPS. The business’s revenue 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. Equities research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to buy up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be given a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.31%.

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.