Braidwell LP Takes $9.16 Million Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Key Points

• Braidwell LP purchased a new $9.16 million stake in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter, acquiring 43,200 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 88.06% of the company.
• Quest Diagnostics exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.12 EPS on $3.04 billion in revenue, with revenue up 10.2% year over year. The company guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of $11.05–$11.25.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.86 per share, representing a 1.4% yield, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with a $235.31 average price target.

Braidwell LP bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 43,200 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $9,156,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Key Financial Inc increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 1,728.6% in the first quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 128 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 1.9%

DGX opened at $240.72 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The company's 50-day moving average is $226.44 and its 200 day moving average is $207.88. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $171.18 and a fifty-two week high of $247.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.55, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.55.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. Research analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be issued a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DGX. Argus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $235.31.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.18, for a total transaction of $376,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,335 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,430,585.30. This trade represents a 13.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total value of $5,513,005.47. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 37,557 shares in the company, valued at $9,130,482.27. This trade represents a 37.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

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.

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