Zacks Research Issues Positive Estimate for DGX Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the medical research company will earn $2.55 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.50. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics’ Q4 2025 earnings at $2.42 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $9.69 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.42 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.67 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.70 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.68 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.48 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.63 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $11.12 EPS.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released 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 business had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 8.80%.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $178.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Redburn Partners set a $195.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $185.73.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 2.2%

DGX opened at $176.31 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.93, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $169.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.39. Quest Diagnostics has a 52 week low of $135.47 and a 52 week high of $179.32.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 535 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.71, for a total value of $90,794.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 71,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,109,826.76. This represents a 0.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 604 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.99, for a total transaction of $103,277.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 39,845 shares in the company, valued at $6,813,096.55. This trade represents a 1.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 55,124 shares of company stock worth $9,341,875. Corporate insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

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 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 40.46%.

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.