Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)

21 Mar 2025, 09:12 by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat Gem

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC cut its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX – Free Report) by 22.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,818 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 1,680 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 340.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 251 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of DGX opened at $166.25 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $125.42 and a 52-week high of $178.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $164.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 15.07%. Research analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on DGX shares. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $172.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Leerink Partners raised Quest Diagnostics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $169.00 to $174.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.38.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Quest Diagnostics

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.30, for a total value of $66,212.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $759,723.20. The trade was a 8.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,370 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.13, for a total value of $935,078.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,068 shares in the company, valued at $11,852,680.84. The trade was a 7.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,157 shares of company stock worth $2,423,755 over the last ninety days. 0.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Quest Diagnostics

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