FY2025 EPS Forecast for Quest Diagnostics Boosted by Analyst

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Leerink Partnrs boosted their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Quest Diagnostics in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 22nd. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now expects that the medical research company will post earnings of $9.81 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate 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.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on DGX. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $160.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 7th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $176.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.69.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

NYSE DGX traded down $3.52 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $168.38. 1,877,511 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,283,198. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The business's fifty day moving average price is $174.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.49. Quest Diagnostics has a 52 week low of $140.71 and a 52 week high of $182.38.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter worth $1,228,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake 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 last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 18,010 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,047,000 after buying an additional 1,566 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 7,081 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,198,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,577 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,439,000 after acquiring an additional 1,348 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of Quest Diagnostics 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 8,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,471,127.84. This trade represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 8.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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 given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 7th. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.32%.

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.