Quest Diagnostics (DGX) Expected to Post Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Key Points

• Quest Diagnostics is expected to report Q3 2026 results before market open on October 22. Analysts forecast earnings of $2.87 per share on $3.05 billion in revenue, while the company’s full-year EPS guidance is $11.05–$11.25.
• The company’s previous quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $3.12 versus the $2.82 consensus and revenue of $3.04 billion, up 10.2% year over year.
• Quest Diagnostics recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.86 per share, equivalent to a 1.5% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $237.85.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) is projected to post its Q3 2026 results before the market opens on Thursday, October 22nd. Analysts expect Quest Diagnostics to announce earnings of $2.87 per share and revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS. Interested persons may review the information on the company's upcoming Q3 2026 earnings results page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 8:30 AM ET.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.30. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics's quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Quest Diagnostics to post $11.15 EPS for the current fiscal year and $11.97 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 1.5%

DGX stock opened at $233.94 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Quest Diagnostics has a 12-month low of $171.18 and a 12-month high of $248.84. The stock has a market cap of $25.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.66, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.54. The business's 50-day moving average is $237.46 and its 200 day moving average is $214.91.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

Insider Activity at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total value of $5,513,005.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 37,557 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,130,482.27. This trade represents a 37.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.72, for a total transaction of $2,427,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,423 shares in the company, valued at $29,714,510.56. This trade represents a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 34,277 shares of company stock valued at $8,316,493. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Quest Diagnostics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $237.85.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated NYSE: DGX is a provider of diagnostic information services. The company performs laboratory testing that helps physicians, hospitals, health plans, employers and other organizations diagnose, monitor and manage medical conditions.

Its services include routine blood and other clinical laboratory tests, advanced and molecular diagnostics, anatomic pathology, genetic and genomic testing, and testing related to infectious diseases. Quest also provides employer health screening, drug testing, clinical trial support and laboratory information services.

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