Leerink Partnrs Has Bullish Estimate for DGX FY2025 Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Leerink Partnrs upped their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Quest Diagnostics in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 8th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now anticipates that the medical research company will post earnings per share of $9.73 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $9.72. 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 $10.65 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.59 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $12.69 EPS.

DGX has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 7th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $182.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:DGX traded down $2.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $171.49. 914,056 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 993,313. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $176.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.20. Quest Diagnostics has a fifty-two week low of $137.71 and a fifty-two week high of $182.38. The firm has a market cap of $19.15 billion, a PE ratio of 21.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.06. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.81% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 during the period. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 11,100.0% during the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 224 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total value of $153,579.28. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 8,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,471,127.84. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Investors of record on Monday, July 7th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.46%.

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.