Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Has $14.02 Million Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 124.4%, now owning 80,779 shares valued at about $14.02 million.
• Quest Diagnostics posted a Q1 beat with $2.50 adjusted EPS and $2.90B revenue (up 9.2% YoY) and raised FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $10.63–$10.83, prompting multiple analyst price‑target increases.
• Insiders have sold roughly 24,083 shares (~$4.95M) in the past 90 days, even as the board approved a $1.00 billion share‑repurchase program and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.86 ($3.44 annual, ~1.7% yield).

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) by 124.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,779 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 44,780 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.07% of Quest Diagnostics worth $14,018,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 113.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Quest Diagnostics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat and guidance raised: DGX reported adjusted EPS of $2.50 and revenue of $2.90B (≈+9.2% YoY) and raised FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $10.63–$10.83, supporting the bullish case for steady routine testing demand. Quest Diagnostics Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price‑target lifts and favorable notes: Multiple firms bumped targets (Barclays to $230/overweight; Baird to $229; UBS to $220; Truist to $225), reflecting confidence that beat + raised outlook justify higher valuations. These Analysts Boost Their Forecasts On Quest Diagnostics After Better-Than-Expected Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Operational drivers: Management cited strong organic volume, partnerships, consumer testing momentum and AI initiatives as contributors to revenue growth and the improved outlook. Quest Diagnostics Gains Steam With Partnerships, Lifts Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/strategy writeups: Coverage pieces (Zacks, Yahoo/Seeking Alpha) frame DGX as a momentum/value story post‑earnings — useful context but not new company guidance. Here's Why Quest Diagnostics (DGX) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call materials and transcript are available for detail on margins, volumes and segment commentary if you want to validate management’s assumptions. Quest Diagnostics Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional trimming: Reports show significant insider sales and large institutional position reductions by some managers in recent quarters — these can cap near‑term upside and fuel profit‑taking. Quest Diagnostics rises after Q1 earnings beat and higher 2026 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction/technical pressure: The stock surged on the beat and guidance lift; the current pullback with above‑average volume looks like intraday profit‑taking and rotation despite fundamentally positive news.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on DGX shares. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $224.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $214.54.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX stock opened at $203.77 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $200.42 and a 200-day moving average of $189.13. 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 $22.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.66.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The medical research company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.13. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.07% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $2.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics's revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.630-10.830 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 10.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 6th were given a $0.86 dividend. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 6th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.31%.

Quest Diagnostics announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical research company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,558 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 67,122 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,841,227.62. This trade represents a 7.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 3,878 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 37,557 shares in the company, valued at $7,744,628.97. This represents a 9.36% 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 ninety days. 8.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.