Key Points
- Michael Prevoznik, Quest Diagnostics SVP, sold 3,878 shares at an average price of $206.21 for about $799,682, reducing his stake by 9.36%; multiple senior execs sold roughly $3.07M in shares this week, a move that likely pressured the stock (shares were down ~2.3%).
- Quest Diagnostics beat Q4 estimates with EPS $2.42 vs. $2.35 and revenue of $2.81B (up 7.1% year-over-year), and set FY2026 guidance of 9.45–9.65 EPS (consensus ~9.7).
- The board approved a $1.0 billion share repurchase program (up to ~4.7% of shares) and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.86 (annualized $3.44, ~1.7% yield), underscoring a focus on shareholder returns.
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 2,628 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.86, for a total transaction of $538,372.08. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,753,523.26. The trade was a 16.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.
Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance
NYSE:DGX opened at $199.37 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average is $191.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $185.74. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $157.20 and a 1-year high of $213.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.79, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.66.
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.07. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 8.99%.The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.23 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. Analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.
Quest Diagnostics declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical research company to buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.
Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be issued a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.57%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DGX shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target 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. Mizuho lifted their price objective 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. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $210.29.
Check Out Our Latest Report on DGX
Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of 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 increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
More Quest Diagnostics News
Here are the key news stories impacting Quest Diagnostics this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research expects higher Q4/near-term earnings for Quest, which supports the company's fundamentals and could be a near-term tailwind if results and guidance confirm those estimates. Zacks Research Expects Higher Earnings for Quest Diagnostics
- Neutral Sentiment: Equity analysts have set/updated expectations for DGX Q4 earnings (consensus estimates being monitored ahead of the print); this keeps focus on results and guide as the primary near-term catalysts. Equities Analysts Set Expectations for DGX Q4 Earnings
- Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are driving implied volatility higher on DGX, indicating the market is pricing a larger-than-normal move around upcoming news (increases trading costs and can amplify share moves in either direction). Implied Volatility Surging for Quest Diagnostics Stock Options
- Negative Sentiment: Multiple senior executives completed sizable stock sales this week (SVPs and an EVP sold shares at ~ $204–$206 each). Combined disclosed sales total roughly $3.07M and represented single-digit to mid-teens percentage reductions in holdings — a negative signal that likely pressured the stock given concentration of selling among insiders. SEC Filing (Form 4) — Karthik Kuppusamy
Quest Diagnostics Company Profile
(
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.
Further Reading
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