Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Free Report) had its target price hoisted by UBS Group from $210.00 to $220.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the medical research company’s stock.
Several other research firms have also commented on DGX. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $224.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $214.54.
Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 0.6%
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $2.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.07% and a return on equity of 15.60%. Quest Diagnostics’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.630-10.830 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics will post 10.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Quest Diagnostics announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.
Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 6th were given a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is 39.31%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 2,628 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.86, for a total transaction of $538,372.08. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,753,523.26. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 2,855 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.21, for a total value of $588,729.55. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,133,979.58. This trade represents a 15.81% 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 in the last three months. 8.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Caldwell Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 18.5% during the first quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 12,889 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,526,000 after purchasing an additional 2,010 shares during the last quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.9% in the first quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 156,832 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,736,000 after acquiring an additional 2,978 shares in the last quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 6.4% in the first quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 94,640 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $18,736,000 after acquiring an additional 5,658 shares in the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 8.0% in the first quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 23,951 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,694,000 after acquiring an additional 1,783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the first quarter valued at about $1,097,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
More Quest Diagnostics News
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.
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.
Further Reading
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