Artia Global Partners LP Cuts Stake in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated $DGX

Artia Global Partners LP lowered its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 50.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,817 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 40,900 shares during the period. Quest Diagnostics comprises approximately 1.0% of Artia Global Partners LP’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Artia Global Partners LP’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $7,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 113.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,702,000. The trade was a 37.62% 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, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.14, for a total value of $1,941,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 132,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,708,601.22. The trade was a 7.02% 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. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 30th. 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, April 21st. Evercore set a $225.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $224.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $216.58.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX opened at $197.97 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $195.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.07. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1 year low of $164.65 and a 1 year high of $213.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.92 billion, a PE ratio of 21.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.59.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The medical research company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.13. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 9.07%.The company had revenue of $2.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics’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. Research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 10.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th will be issued a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is presently 38.01%.

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.