Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) SVP Patrick Plewman Sells 5,662 Shares

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total value of $1,155,048.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,137,724. This represents a 26.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $207.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $23.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $182.13. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52 week low of $157.20 and a 52 week high of $213.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.07. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 8.99%.The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $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. Equities research analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 6th will be given a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.57%.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase 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 usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at about $323,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 17.1% in the second quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 104,307 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $18,737,000 after acquiring an additional 15,223 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 6.1% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 31.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 15,949 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,865,000 after purchasing an additional 3,785 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Better-than-expected Q4 results and stronger guidance helped drive a fresh 12‑month high, supporting the view that growth and margins are improving. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The board approved a $1.0 billion share repurchase authorization (about 4.7% of shares outstanding), which is shareholder‑friendly and typically supports EPS and the stock price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/target raises: Mizuho raised its target to $235 (Outperform) and Barclays raised to $225 (Overweight), reflecting bullish analyst views and additional upside to consensus. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Major analysts reiterated constructive ratings — Morgan Stanley reiterated a Buy citing a strong 2026 outlook and margin expansion, and Citigroup published a bullish price‑appreciation forecast. These endorsements support longer‑term demand. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analytical pieces question sustainability after a 52‑week high and review fundamentals — useful context for assessing valuation and the potential for continued upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: The Q4 earnings call transcript is available for investors who want management’s commentary on trends, margin drivers, and the 2026 outlook (useful but not market-moving by itself). Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: An insider sale: SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares (~27% reduction of his holding) at about $204, which can spook some investors or be interpreted as tactical selling. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on DGX shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI set a $220.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.93.

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.