Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target Raised to $255.00

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) had its target price hoisted by Robert W. Baird from $236.00 to $255.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on DGX. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.73.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE DGX opened at $228.05 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $203.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $197.76. The company has a market capitalization of $25.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.58. Quest Diagnostics has a 1 year low of $165.78 and a 1 year high of $237.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.46.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 9.18%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.62 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics will post 11.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th were issued a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,147 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $1,629,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,702,000. This trade represents a 37.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.14, for a total transaction of $1,941,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 132,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,708,601.22. This trade represents a 7.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $229,522,000. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 32.8% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,036,881 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $767,978,000 after acquiring an additional 997,033 shares during the period. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 95.5% during the 4th quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 1,661,072 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $288,246,000 after purchasing an additional 811,320 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 67.8% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,114,451 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $193,391,000 after purchasing an additional 450,161 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 36.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,599,602 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $287,337,000 after purchasing an additional 426,399 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quest Diagnostics posted Q2 results that beat Wall Street expectations on both revenue and earnings, helped by stronger demand for routine diagnostic and preventive testing. The company also raised its full-year 2026 outlook, which investors are reading as evidence that growth is holding up well. Article: Quest Diagnostics Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results; Raises Revenue and EPS Guidance for Full Year 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on DGX to $260 and kept an outperform rating, signaling confidence that the company can still outperform from here. Article: Quest Diagnostics price target raised by Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Truist also lifted its target to $250, while Robert W. Baird increased its target to $255, reflecting continued analyst optimism after the earnings beat and raised guidance. Article: Quest Diagnostics price target raised by Truist Financial Corporation
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market commentary pieces highlighted DGX as a momentum stock and noted the shares recently reached a 52-week high. That supports bullish sentiment, but these articles are mostly follow-up coverage rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Article: Are You Looking for a Top Momentum Pick? Why Quest Diagnostics (DGX) Is a Great Choice

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.