Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Posted by George Bondi on Oct 28th, 2026

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX – Get Free Report)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $249.73 and last traded at $244.6820, with a volume of 318,313 shares. The stock had previously closed at $242.56.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $262.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.70.

Get Our Latest Analysis on DGX

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $237.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $210.94. The firm has a market cap of $27.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $3.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.13. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.21% and a net margin of 9.53%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.30 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th were issued a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Michael Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total value of $5,513,005.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 37,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,130,482.27. This trade represents a 37.65% 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 hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO J. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 122,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,714,510.56. The trade was a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Partners Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 3rd quarter valued at $534,000. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter valued at $471,000. Choreo LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 2,215 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 3,382 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $788,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Retirement Inc. grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.8% during the third quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 9,889 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,305,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

About Quest Diagnostics

(Get Free Report)

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) is a provider of diagnostic information services. The company performs laboratory testing that helps physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers diagnose, treat and monitor diseases and health conditions. Its services include routine blood and other specimen testing, pathology, molecular and genetic testing, and specialized diagnostic services.

Quest Diagnostics serves a broad range of customers, including hospitals, physician practices, health plans, employers, government agencies and individual consumers.