Key Points
- CEO J. Davis sold 10,000 Quest Diagnostics shares at an average price of $242.72, generating $2.43 million. The transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and reduced his direct ownership by 7.55%.
- Quest Diagnostics reported quarterly EPS of $3.12, beating estimates of $2.82, while revenue rose 10.2% year over year to $3.04 billion. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $11.05 to $11.25.
- The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.86 per share, equivalent to an annualized dividend of $3.44 and a 1.4% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $235.31.
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) CEO J. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.72, for a total transaction of $2,427,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,423 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,714,510.56. This represents a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.5%
DGX opened at $239.60 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $227.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $208.11. The company has a market capitalization of $26.44 billion, a PE ratio of 25.44, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.55. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 1-year low of $171.18 and a 1-year high of $247.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 EPS for the current year.
Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics's payout ratio is currently 36.52%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 22,733.0% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 37,043,773 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $7,851,428,000 after acquiring an additional 36,881,535 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,965,923,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,382,547 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $934,033,000 after purchasing an additional 158,617 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,036,881 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $767,978,000 after purchasing an additional 997,033 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,693,568 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $467,415,000 after purchasing an additional 406,658 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $235.31.
View Our Latest Report on Quest Diagnostics
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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