Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target Raised to $229.00

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Robert W. Baird from $224.00 to $229.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price suggests a potential upside of 14.45% from the company’s previous close.

DGX has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 15th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $213.77.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of DGX traded down $4.95 on Wednesday, reaching $200.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 166,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 987,339. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Quest Diagnostics has a twelve month low of $164.65 and a twelve month high of $213.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.15 billion, a PE ratio of 22.82, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $200.53 and a 200-day moving average of $189.02.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The medical research company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.13. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 15.57%. The company had revenue of $2.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.630-10.830 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics will post 10.6 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical research company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total transaction of $1,155,048.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,137,724. This represents a 26.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 3,878 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.21, for a total transaction of $799,682.38. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 37,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,744,628.97. This represents a 9.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 24,083 shares of company stock valued at $4,945,262 over the last quarter. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Norges Bank bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $229,522,000. Boston Partners boosted 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 buying an additional 997,033 shares during the period. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 66,757.0% in the 3rd quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 849,752 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $161,946,000 after buying an additional 848,481 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 67.8% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,114,451 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $193,391,000 after buying an additional 450,161 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 2,531.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 450,898 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $85,932,000 after buying an additional 433,764 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Quest Diagnostics

Here are the key news stories impacting Quest Diagnostics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and guidance lift — Quest reported Q1 revenue of $2.90B (up ~9.2% YoY) and adjusted EPS $2.50, topping estimates; management raised FY‑2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $10.63–$10.83 and raised revenue guidance, driving the immediate positive reaction. PR Newswire: Q1 Results & Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships and AI momentum — Coverage highlights that new partnerships, consumer testing growth and investments in advanced diagnostics / AI are contributing to organic revenue strength and underpinning management’s raised outlook. Benzinga: Partnerships Lift Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target lift — Truist bumped its DGX price target to $225 (from $220) while keeping a “hold” rating, signalling modest upside from current levels and reinforcing the post‑earnings re‑rating. Benzinga: Truist Raises PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Shifting investment story and commentary — Recent analysis pieces and the earnings‑call transcript dig into why Quest’s mix is changing (more consumer testing, diagnostic information services) — useful context but not an immediate catalyst on its own. Yahoo: Investment Story Shifting
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional selling — Reports show numerous insider sales and large institutional position cuts (e.g., UBS, Wellington) in recent quarters, which could cap upside or pressure sentiment if sustained. QuiverQuant: Insider & Institutional Activity

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

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.