Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $212.50 and traded as high as $236.97. Quest Diagnostics shares last traded at $233.37, with a volume of 1,083,062 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DGX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Mizuho upped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Argus set a $260.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $237.08.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $237.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $212.72. The stock has a market cap of $25.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.54.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 11.15 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be given a dividend of $0.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.18, for a total value of $376,288.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,335 shares in the company, valued at $2,430,585.30. This trade represents a 13.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total transaction of $5,513,005.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 37,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,130,482.27. This represents a 37.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 34,277 shares of company stock worth $8,316,493. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Key Financial Inc raised its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 1,728.6% in the first quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 128 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 492.9% in the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 166 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) is a provider of diagnostic information services. The company performs laboratory testing that helps physicians, hospitals, health plans, employers and other organizations diagnose, monitor and manage medical conditions.

Its services include routine blood and other clinical laboratory tests, advanced and molecular diagnostics, anatomic pathology, genetic and genomic testing, and testing related to infectious diseases. Quest also provides employer health screening, drug testing, clinical trial support and laboratory information services.