Leerink Partnrs Issues Optimistic Estimate for DGX Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Research analysts at Leerink Partnrs upped their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 8th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now forecasts that the medical research company will post earnings of $9.73 per share for the year, up from their previous 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.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.4%

Quest Diagnostics stock traded down $0.77 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $172.85. 189,812 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 989,403. Quest Diagnostics has a 52-week low of $137.71 and a 52-week high of $182.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $19.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.49. The company's 50-day moving average is $176.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.20.

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

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is 40.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total value of $153,579.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,471,127.84. This trade represents a 9.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 8.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,984,238 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,012,534,000 after purchasing an additional 493,960 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,690,021 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $404,764,000 after purchasing an additional 73,368 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 60.4% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,433,913 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $367,180,000 after acquiring an additional 916,898 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $388,724,000. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 2,268,990 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $342,300,000 after acquiring an additional 26,214 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company's stock.

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.