FY2025 Earnings Forecast for DGX Issued By Leerink Partnrs

Key Points

• Leerink Partners has raised its FY2025 earnings per share estimate for Quest Diagnostics to $9.83, slightly up from a previous estimate of $9.81.
• Quest Diagnostics reported quarterly earnings of $2.60 EPS, beating analyst estimates and showing a revenue increase of 13.2% compared to last year.
• The company's stock has received various ratings with a consensus target price of $196.31, indicating a general positive outlook from analysts.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Leerink Partnrs raised their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Quest Diagnostics in a research note issued on Tuesday, October 21st. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now expects that the medical research company will post earnings per share of $9.83 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $9.81. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics' current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics' FY2026 earnings at $10.74 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.80 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $12.92 EPS.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The medical research company reported $2.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.09. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 8.91%.The company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics's quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.760-9.840 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $194.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, August 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Baird R W cut Quest Diagnostics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $196.31.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

DGX opened at $181.04 on Thursday. The business's 50 day moving average is $182.84 and its 200-day moving average is $176.49. The stock has a market cap of $20.24 billion, a PE ratio of 21.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Quest Diagnostics has a twelve month low of $148.70 and a twelve month high of $197.55.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 157.3% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 28,288 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.12, for a total value of $5,293,250.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,117 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,132,453.04. This trade represents a 42.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,269 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.40, for a total transaction of $1,384,230.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,784,484. The trade was a 43.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,186 shares of company stock valued at $9,647,471. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.32%.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic information services, such as routine, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services.

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