Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Board Approves Stock Repurchase Program

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 10th, RTT News reports. The company plans to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical research company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of DGX opened at $209.31 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $182.31 and a 200 day moving average of $181.96. Quest Diagnostics has a fifty-two week low of $157.20 and a fifty-two week high of $210.38.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 15.57%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.23 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be paid a $0.86 dividend. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 39.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Leerink Partners upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Eight equities research 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $207.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quest Diagnostics news, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.76, for a total transaction of $239,700.00. Following the sale, the director owned 17,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,267,015.12. This trade represents a 6.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 7,946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.35, for a total transaction of $1,488,683.10. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,410,745.50. The trade was a 51.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 64,289 shares of company stock valued at $12,318,360. Corporate insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

More Quest Diagnostics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — adjusted EPS $2.42 vs. consensus ~$2.35 and revenue of $2.81B (up 7.1% YoY); management highlighted rising test volumes that drove the beat. Q4 Results Release
• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized a $1.0 billion share repurchase (up to ~4.7% of shares), which supports EPS and signals management confidence in the stock. Buyback Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend increased 7.5% to $0.86 (15th consecutive year of raises), improving yield and making the stock more attractive to income investors. Dividend Hike Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts showing bullish activity — Barclays raised its price target to $225 with an Overweight rating and Morgan Stanley reiterated a Buy, both supporting upward momentum. Analyst Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Stock is at a 52‑week high and momentum-oriented coverage is highlighting that trend; this can attract momentum funds but can also set higher expectations. 52-Week High Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary on longer‑term growth drivers (e.g., blood-based Alzheimer’s testing) was reiterated — bullish for long-term revenue mix but not an immediate earnings driver. CEO Alzheimer’s Comment
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 reported EPS guidance (9.45–9.65) was below some prior consensus estimates (market consensus cited ~10.4), which could cap near-term multiple expansion despite an improved adjusted EPS range. Investors should watch how the market weighs reported vs. adjusted guidance. Guidance Details

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.