Leerink Partnrs Brokers Reduce Earnings Estimates for DGX

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Research analysts at Leerink Partnrs lowered their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for Quest Diagnostics in a report released on Tuesday, April 22nd. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now anticipates that the medical research company will post earnings of $2.53 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.54. Leerink Partnrs has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. 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 $10.48 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.45 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $12.51 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on DGX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $185.07.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:DGX traded down $0.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $177.81. 409,299 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 958,582. Quest Diagnostics has a one year low of $135.27 and a one year high of $179.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $169.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $161.48. The company has a market cap of $19.85 billion, a PE ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.78.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 157.3% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 403 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.30, for a total transaction of $66,212.90. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $759,723.20. The trade was a 8.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Vicky B. Gregg sold 1,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.57, for a total value of $205,712.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,775,802.19. The trade was a 6.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 55,903 shares of company stock worth $9,460,221. Company insiders own 8.16% of the company's stock.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th were paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. 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.