Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Short Interest Update

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,771,280 shares, a drop of 18.1% from the January 29th total of 5,823,118 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,457,533 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Approximately 4.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 4.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,457,533 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days.

Key Quest Diagnostics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑ and multi‑year EPS forecasts for Quest, lifting FY2026 to $10.57 (from $10.26), FY2027 to $11.42 (from $11.21) and FY2028 to $12.54, and increasing several quarterly estimates (Q1‑26 $2.37, Q2‑26 $2.84, Q3‑26 $2.79, Q2‑27 $2.92, Q3‑27 $2.90, Q4‑27 $3.06). The revisions signal stronger expected earnings power versus prior guidance and consensus. Zacks Research Estimate Revisions
• Neutral Sentiment: Quest announced “Quest AI Companion,” an AI chat feature (built with Google’s Gemini) to help patients and providers interpret up to five years of lab data. This could improve patient engagement and differentiation over time but is unlikely to materially affect near‑term revenue/earnings. Quest AI Companion Release

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,662 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total transaction of $1,155,048.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,137,724. The trade was a 26.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 1,433 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total transaction of $293,521.39. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,010,781.66. This represents a 2.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 9,164 shares of company stock worth $1,872,363 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $959,000 after purchasing an additional 2,720 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the third quarter worth $4,713,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 2,531.6% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 450,898 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $85,932,000 after buying an additional 433,764 shares during the last quarter. TKG Advisors LLC raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 125.1% in the third quarter. TKG Advisors LLC now owns 14,596 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,782,000 after buying an additional 8,112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 209.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 7,765 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,480,000 after buying an additional 5,257 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on DGX shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore set a $220.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $210.29.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:DGX traded down $2.12 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $208.13. 779,503 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,105,029. Quest Diagnostics has a twelve month low of $157.20 and a twelve month high of $213.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $189.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $185.31. The company has a market capitalization of $22.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.79, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.07. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 8.99%.The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical research company to buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 36.57%.

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.