Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Short Interest Update

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,771,280 shares, a decline of 18.1% from the January 29th total of 5,823,118 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,457,533 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days. Currently, 4.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 4.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,457,533 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Quest Diagnostics News Roundup

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 1,111 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total value of $227,566.13. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 38,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,859,531.93. The trade was a 2.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 1,433 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total transaction of $293,521.39. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,010,781.66. The trade was a 2.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,164 shares of company stock worth $1,872,363. 8.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX traded down $2.12 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $208.13. 779,503 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,105,029. 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 cap of $22.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $189.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.31. Quest Diagnostics has a 52-week low of $157.20 and a 52-week high of $213.50.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly 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. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 15.57%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.23 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics will post 9.7 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

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

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DGX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore set a $220.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $210.29.

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.