Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Stock

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Barclays from $210.00 to $225.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Barclays‘s price target points to a potential upside of 9.47% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $203.86.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:DGX opened at $205.54 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.12, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Quest Diagnostics has a 12 month low of $157.20 and a 12 month high of $207.05. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $181.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $181.77.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.47% and a net margin of 8.91%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.23 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.76, for a total transaction of $239,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,267,015.12. This represents a 6.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 7,946 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.35, for a total value of $1,488,683.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,410,745.50. This trade represents a 51.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 64,289 shares of company stock worth $12,318,360 over the last three months. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 113.7% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Quest Diagnostics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and full‑year guidance: Quest reported Q4 revenue of $2.81B (up 7.1% YoY) and adjusted EPS of $2.42, beating consensus. Management provided FY‑2026 guidance (reported diluted EPS $9.45–9.65; adjusted diluted EPS $10.50–10.70 and revenue $11.70B–$11.82B). Investors are rewarding the top‑line strength and clear forward outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchase authorization: The board approved an incremental $1.0B buyback (up to ~4.7% of shares), a direct capital return signal that typically supports the share price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raise: Quest hiked the quarterly dividend 7.5% to $0.86 (marking 15 consecutive years of increases), which appeals to income investors and supports valuation multiples. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Morgan Stanley reiterated a Buy on DGX today, citing a strong 2026 outlook, margin expansion and growth in higher‑margin segments — a catalyst for momentum buying. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi raised its price target to $215 but kept a Neutral rating — indicates some upside in the stock but not an outright upgrade from a large shop. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term product news: CEO comments highlighted progress on blood‑based Alzheimer’s testing, which could expand higher‑margin services over time but is not an immediate revenue driver. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: EPS guidance context: While revenue guidance was solid, reported FY‑2026 EPS guidance (9.45–9.65) sits near or slightly below some street models — some analysts may view the EPS outlook as conservative, which could cap near‑term upside until visibility improves. Read More.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.