Q3 EPS Estimates for Quest Diagnostics Cut by Zacks Research

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the medical research company will post earnings of $2.50 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.51. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics' current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics' Q1 2026 earnings at $2.39 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.68 EPS and Q1 2027 earnings at $2.62 EPS.

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

Several other analysts have also recently commented on DGX. Citigroup cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

NYSE:DGX traded up $1.72 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $171.34. 1,025,574 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 992,088. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.28, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52. Quest Diagnostics has a 52-week low of $135.47 and a 52-week high of $179.99. 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 company's 50 day moving average price is $170.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $164.25.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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 related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 528 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $91,138.08. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 39,031 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,737,140.91. This represents a 1.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 874 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.72, for a total transaction of $153,579.28. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,471,127.84. This represents a 9.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 53,985 shares of company stock valued at $9,147,802. 8.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DGX. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 9.0% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,984,238 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,012,534,000 after buying an additional 493,960 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,690,021 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $404,764,000 after buying an additional 73,368 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 60.4% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,433,913 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $367,180,000 after buying an additional 916,898 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the first quarter valued at about $388,724,000. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 2,268,990 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $342,300,000 after buying an additional 26,214 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.