Copeland Capital Management LLC Cuts Stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Key Points

• Copeland Capital cut its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 5.2%, selling 8,738 shares to hold 159,637 shares (about $27.7M); institutional investors now own roughly 88.06% of the stock, with notable new or expanded positions from Paradiem and Pacer.
• Q1 beat and raised FY‑2026 outlook: Quest reported EPS of $2.50 (vs. $2.37 est.) and revenue of $2.90B (vs. $2.83B), and set FY‑2026 guidance at $10.63–$10.83, prompting analysts to lift estimates and price targets.
• Dividend increase and $1B buyback: the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.86 (annualized $3.44, ~1.7% yield) and authorized a $1.0 billion repurchase program (up to ~4.7% of shares).

Copeland Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 159,637 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 8,738 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Quest Diagnostics worth $27,702,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Paradiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $13,652,000. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 117.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 5,034 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 2,720 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,713,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 2,531.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 450,898 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $85,932,000 after buying an additional 433,764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TKG Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 125.1% during the 3rd quarter. TKG Advisors LLC now owns 14,596 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,782,000 after buying an additional 8,112 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and raised FY‑2026 outlook — Quest reported stronger-than-expected Q1 revenue and EPS and raised its 2026 guidance, with the CEO citing broad‑based growth across consumer testing and advanced diagnostics. That fundamental beat is the primary bullish catalyst. Quest Diagnostics raises 2026 forecast, CEO highlights broad‑based growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised estimates and price targets after Q1 — Several firms lifted forecasts/targets (UBS, Robert W. Baird, Barclays, Truist) and coverage pieces highlighted upgraded revenue/earnings outlooks, supporting upside to consensus. These Analysts Boost Their Forecasts On Quest Diagnostics After Better-Than-Expected Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/market‑strength signal — IBD upgraded Quest for improved price strength, which can attract momentum and retail flows. IBD rating upgrades: Quest Diagnostics shows improved price strength
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks/style momentum coverage — Commentary suggesting DGX is a momentum stock may reinforce interest from style‑focused funds. Here's Why Quest Diagnostics (DGX) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / deep dive pieces — Multiple writeups summarize the call and the shifting investment story (organic growth, consumer testing momentum, advanced diagnostics). Useful for longer‑term thesis but less likely to move the tape intraday. Quest Diagnostics Inc (DGX) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights DGX Q1 deep dive
• Negative Sentiment: Hedge fund short call — Hedgeye added DGX as a new short idea, creating headline risk and giving short sellers a narrative to increase pressure in the near term. That can amplify intraday selling even with positive fundamentals. Quest Diagnostics added as new short idea at Hedgeye

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DGX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, March 15th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $224.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, February 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $214.54.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE DGX opened at $199.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 12 month low of $164.65 and a 12 month high of $213.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.04 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $200.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $189.19.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The medical research company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.13. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.07% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business had revenue of $2.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.630-10.830 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 10.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 6th were issued a $0.86 dividend. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.01%.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical research company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,558 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.21, for a total value of $1,146,115.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 67,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,841,227.62. This represents a 7.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,137,724. This trade represents a 26.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 24,083 shares of company stock valued at $4,945,262 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

About Quest Diagnostics

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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