UBS Group Increases Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Price Target to $220.00

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) had its price objective lifted by analysts at UBS Group from $210.00 to $220.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the medical research company’s stock. UBS Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 7.96% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Tuesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $214.54.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Quest Diagnostics stock traded down $1.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $203.77. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,609,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,007,968. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $200.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $189.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $22.55 billion, a PE ratio of 23.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.66. Quest Diagnostics has a 12 month low of $164.65 and a 12 month high of $213.50.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The medical research company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $2.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 8.99%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.94 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.630-10.830 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Quest Diagnostics will post 10.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quest Diagnostics news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,558 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.21, for a total transaction of $1,146,115.18. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 67,122 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,841,227.62. The trade was a 7.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total value of $1,155,048.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,137,724. This trade represents a 26.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 24,083 shares of company stock worth $4,945,262. Insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Paradiem LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $13,652,000. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 117.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 5,034 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $959,000 after purchasing an additional 2,720 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,713,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 2,531.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 450,898 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $85,932,000 after purchasing an additional 433,764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TKG Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 125.1% in the 3rd quarter. TKG Advisors LLC now owns 14,596 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,782,000 after purchasing an additional 8,112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Quest Diagnostics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and raised guidance: DGX reported adjusted Q1 EPS of $2.50 and revenue of $2.90B (organic growth ~9%), and management lifted FY‑2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $10.63–$10.83 and revenue guidance to about $11.78–$11.90B — the core reason for the earlier rally. Quest Diagnostics Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Several firms raised price targets or reiterated favorable views after the print (Barclays, Robert W. Baird, Truist among those updating targets), adding analyst-led momentum that can attract buyers. These Analysts Boost Their Forecasts On Quest Diagnostics
• Positive Sentiment: Business drivers called out by management — strong routine diagnostic demand, consumer testing momentum, partnerships and increased use of AI/advanced diagnostics — support the raised outlook and justify investor optimism on durable growth. Quest Diagnostics Gains Steam With Partnerships, Lifts Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Story/quality momentum: Coverage pieces (Zacks, Yahoo) highlight DGX as a momentum/quality name after the beat — useful for thematic or momentum investors but less directly market‑moving than the guidance revision. Here’s Why Quest Diagnostics Is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional selling: Reports show multiple insider sales and large institutional trimming at the end of Q4/early 2026 — this activity can create supply pressure and has likely contributed to intraday weakness despite the upbeat results. Quest Diagnostics rises after Q1 earnings beat and higher 2026 outlook

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.