Should You Buy Quest Diagnostics Inc (DGX) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Buy
Latest Price
187.030
1 Day change
2.57%
52 Week Range
197.550
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
Buy now for a long-term position. DGX is in a constructive uptrend (bullish moving-average stack) and is trading near a clear support zone (~181), which offers a practical entry for an impatient, long-term beginner. Options sentiment is mixed (more protective put open interest, but call-heavy daily volume), hedge funds are aggressively adding, and fundamentals (2025/Q3) show solid, steady growth. Main near-term swing risk is earnings on 2026-02-10 and the notable increase in insider selling, but for a long-term investor with $50k–$100k, DGX still rates as a good buy right now.
Technical Analysis
Trend/price action: The moving averages are bullish (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200), suggesting an established uptrend despite today’s modest dip (regular -0.81%, post-market ~182.74). Momentum: MACD histogram is positive (0.195) but contracting, implying the uptrend is intact but momentum has cooled. RSI_6 is neutral (48.76), consistent with consolidation rather than an overbought condition. Levels: Pivot at 185.36 is overhead (current price below pivot = mild near-term weakness). Key support is S1 ~181.03 (price is close, making it a convenient buy zone); deeper support S2 ~178.35. Upside resistance levels are R1 ~189.69 and R2 ~192.37. Pattern-based short-horizon outlook provided: +0.91% next day, +5.63% next week, but -5.14% next month (near-term mixed).
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals:
**Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals**
- [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today.
- [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock today.
Options Data
Bearish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Options read-through (2025-11-19): Open interest put/call at 1.33 shows heavier put positioning outstanding (more hedging/defensive stance). However, today’s option volume put/call at 0.37 indicates call volume outweighed puts on the day (more bullish/accumulation tone intraday). Implied volatility (30d ~22.12) is slightly above historical volatility (~21.04), with IV percentile ~57.6 (mid-range), suggesting options are not pricing an extreme move, but there is some premium relative to realized.
Technical Summary
Sell
1
Buy
10
Positive Catalysts
Hedge funds are buying aggressively (reported buying amount +1536.08% QoQ), a supportive institutional flow signal.
Fundamentals in 2025/Q3 show steady growth: revenue +13.18% YoY, EPS +8.04% YoY, and gross margin improvement.
Positive brand/reputation news: named to Fortune’s Most Admired Companies list (12th consecutive year), supportive for long-term confidence.
If earnings (2026-02-10 pre-market; est. EPS 2.
beat expectations, it could be an upside catalyst.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Insiders are selling heavily (reported selling amount +4456.93% over the last month), which can weigh on sentiment.
Price currently below the 185.36 pivot and MACD is contracting, implying softened momentum short-term.
Pattern-based forecast supplied suggests possible weakness over the next month (-5.14%), implying the stock may chop/pull back even if the long-term trend remains healthy.
Event risk around the 2026-02-10 earnings report could drive a sharp short-term repricing either way.
Financial Performance
Latest quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue rose to $2.816B (+13.18% YoY). Net income increased to $243M (+8.00% YoY). EPS increased to $2.15 (+8.04% YoY). Gross margin improved to 32.39 (+2.79% YoY). Overall, this is a steady, improving-growth profile (top-line accelerating more than bottom-line, but margins are also improving), consistent with a durable long-term compounder rather than a high-volatility story.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
No analyst rating trend or recent price-target change data was provided in the dataset, so a current Wall Street consensus shift cannot be confirmed here. Pros that Wall Street typically values for DGX-like names (supported by the provided data): consistent earnings power and improving margins. Cons/concerns reflected in the provided data: insider selling spike and mixed short-term momentum. Politician/influential trading: no recent congress trading data available in the last 90 days.
Wall Street analysts forecast DGX stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DGX is 203.75 USD with a low forecast of 190 USD and a high forecast of 215 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
11 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast DGX stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DGX is 203.75 USD with a low forecast of 190 USD and a high forecast of 215 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
5 Buy
6 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 182.350
Low
190
Averages
203.75
High
215
Current: 182.350
Low
190
Averages
203.75
High
215
Barclays
Equal Weight -> Overweight
upgrade
$210
AI Analysis
2026-01-30
New
Reason
Barclays
Price Target
$210
AI Analysis
2026-01-30
New
upgrade
Equal Weight -> Overweight
Reason
Barclays upgraded Quest Diagnostics to Overweight from Equal Weight with a $210 price target.
Piper Sandler
Neutral
maintain
$190 -> $200
2025-10-27
Reason
Piper Sandler
Price Target
$190 -> $200
2025-10-27
maintain
Neutral
Reason
Piper Sandler raised the firm's price target on Quest Diagnostics to $200 from $190 following quarterly results. The firm keeps a Neutral rating on the shares.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for DGX
