Leerink Partnrs Issues Optimistic Estimate for DGX Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Leerink Partnrs increased their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report issued on Tuesday, July 22nd. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now anticipates that the medical research company will earn $9.81 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $9.73. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics' current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics' Q4 2025 earnings at $2.44 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.69 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.67 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $12.77 EPS.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.69.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of DGX stock traded down $3.52 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $168.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,877,511 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,283,198. Quest Diagnostics has a 12-month low of $140.71 and a 12-month high of $182.38. The company has a market capitalization of $18.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.16, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $174.51 and a 200-day moving average of $169.61.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.73 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.24% and a net margin of 9.01%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.35 EPS.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 7th were paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 7th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total transaction of $153,579.28. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 8.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $323,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth $379,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 46.6% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 10,579 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,596,000 after acquiring an additional 3,361 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at $5,507,000. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,155 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.