Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $217.41 and last traded at $215.44, with a volume of 869149 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $215.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DGX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, June 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $224.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.58.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 1.2%

The firm has a market capitalization of $23.59 billion, a PE ratio of 23.58, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $197.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $194.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The medical research company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.13. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.07% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm had revenue of $2.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. The company’s quarterly 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. On average, equities analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 10.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 8th will be given a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 8th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 38.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,147 shares of the firm’s 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 stock was 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 in the company, valued at $25,708,601.22. The trade was 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 Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DGX. Adelphi Trust Co lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 17.7% in the second quarter. Adelphi Trust Co now owns 1,230 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 143.6% during the 2nd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 189,969 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $40,264,000 after acquiring an additional 111,974 shares during the period. DV Trading LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter worth about $235,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 7.2% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,625 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $710,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. Finally, Cozad Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,529 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.