Key Points
- SVP Michael Prevoznik sold 1,111 shares at an average price of $204.83 for about $227,566, leaving him with 38,371 shares — a 2.81% reduction in his ownership.
- Quest Diagnostics beat quarterly estimates with $2.42 EPS (vs. $2.35 expected) and $2.81B in revenue (up 7.1% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of $9.45–$9.65 EPS (analysts expect ~9.7).
- The board authorized a $1.0 billion share repurchase (up to 4.7% of shares) and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.86 (annualized $3.44, ~1.7% yield).
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) SVP Patrick Plewman sold 958 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total value of $196,227.14. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,244,097.54. The trade was a 5.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.
Patrick Plewman also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, February 10th, Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total value of $1,155,048.00.
Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance
Shares of DGX opened at $202.28 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $185.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $183.61. The stock has a market cap of $22.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.66. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a one year low of $157.20 and a one year high of $213.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.04.
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.07. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 15.57%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.23 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.
Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.86 per share. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.57%.
Quest Diagnostics declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 10th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical research company to buy 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 stock is undervalued.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have weighed in on DGX. Citigroup increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Mizuho boosted 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Evercore set a $220.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $210.29.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on DGX
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth $29,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Quest Diagnostics
(
Get Free Report)
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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