Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Share Price Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Quest Diagnostics shares rose above their 200-day moving average, reaching $236.97 and last trading at $233.37. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $237.08, though ratings range from Strong Buy to Hold.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $3.12, beating estimates by $0.30, while revenue increased 10.2% year over year to $3.04 billion. Quest reaffirmed fiscal 2026 guidance of $11.05–$11.25 in EPS.
• Quest declared a quarterly dividend of $0.86, implying a 1.5% yield and a 36.52% payout ratio. Several insiders sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans, while institutional investors own approximately 88.06% of the stock.

Shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $212.50 and traded as high as $236.97. Quest Diagnostics shares last traded at $233.37, with a volume of 1,083,062 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Argus set a $260.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.08.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $237.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $212.50. The stock has a market cap of $25.76 billion, a PE ratio of 24.77, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.55. 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 the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. Quest Diagnostics's revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last 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 analysts expect that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be paid a $0.86 dividend. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics's payout ratio is 36.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Mark Delaney sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.18, for a total value of $376,288.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,430,585.30. This trade represents a 13.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO J. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.72, for a total transaction of $2,427,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 122,423 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,714,510.56. This trade represents a 7.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,277 shares of company stock valued at $8,316,493. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth about $1,965,923,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 2,243,869 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $439,753,000 after purchasing an additional 582,797 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter worth $410,151,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.9% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,949,535 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $382,085,000 after buying an additional 17,987 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at $229,522,000. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated NYSE: DGX is a provider of diagnostic information services. The company performs laboratory testing that helps physicians, hospitals, health plans, employers and other organizations diagnose, monitor and manage medical conditions.

Its services include routine blood and other clinical laboratory tests, advanced and molecular diagnostics, anatomic pathology, genetic and genomic testing, and testing related to infectious diseases. Quest also provides employer health screening, drug testing, clinical trial support and laboratory information services.

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