Zacks Research Cuts Earnings Estimates for Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Zacks Research decreased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report released on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the medical research company will post earnings per share of $10.45 for the year, down from their previous forecast of $10.48. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics' current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%.

DGX has been the topic of several other research reports. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $182.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup cut Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

NYSE DGX traded down $2.11 on Friday, reaching $171.57. 248,594 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 989,387. Quest Diagnostics has a 12 month low of $135.47 and a 12 month high of $179.99. The stock has a market cap of $19.15 billion, a PE ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $170.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. Quest Diagnostics's payout ratio is 40.46%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total value of $6,602,115.86. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 127,623 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,499,370.58. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 5,370 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.13, for a total transaction of $935,078.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,068 shares in the company, valued at $11,852,680.84. This represents a 7.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,985 shares of company stock valued at $9,147,802. Corporate insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 251,255 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $42,512,000 after acquiring an additional 6,771 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 52.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 940 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 21,735 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,678,000 after buying an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 147.0% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 55,607 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $9,409,000 after buying an additional 33,096 shares during the period. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 52.0% in the 1st quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 13,788 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,333,000 after buying an additional 4,716 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.