Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $246.00 and last traded at $243.9570, with a volume of 837684 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $244.39.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have issued reports on DGX. Wall Street Zen raised Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $235.31.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics Price Performance
The company has a market cap of $26.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.56. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $220.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $205.70. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.62 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 EPS for the current year.
Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.52%.
Insider Activity
In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,147 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,629,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,510 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,702,000. This represents a 37.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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 the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.14, for a total value of $1,941,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 132,423 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,708,601.22. This trade represents a 7.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 19,747 shares of company stock worth $3,947,088 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Key Financial Inc grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 1,728.6% in the first quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 128 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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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