Leerink Partnrs Has Positive Estimate for DGX Q4 Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Leerink Partnrs increased their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Quest Diagnostics in a report released on Tuesday, July 8th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now anticipates that the medical research company will earn $2.42 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.41. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics' current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share.

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

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on DGX. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Mizuho upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $182.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 2.0%

NYSE DGX traded down $3.45 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $168.00. 1,335,607 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 996,508. The business's 50-day moving average is $175.88 and its 200-day moving average is $168.43. Quest Diagnostics has a twelve month low of $137.71 and a twelve month 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 stock has a market capitalization of $18.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.49.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $323,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 117.4% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,848 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 998 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 6,362 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $960,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 6,632 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,001,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $14,392,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.46%.

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.