Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for DGX Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a note issued to investors on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the medical research company will post earnings of $2.82 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.79. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $11.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics’ Q4 2026 earnings at $2.71 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $11.15 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.72 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.99 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.10 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.90 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.71 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $3.10 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $3.30 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $12.90 EPS.

Several other research firms also recently commented on DGX. Argus set a $260.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.31.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

NYSE DGX opened at $236.41 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $214.92 and its 200-day moving average is $202.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.59 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 $240.13. The company has a market capitalization of $26.09 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.56.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.01%. Quest Diagnostics’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,392,082 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,497,458,000 after purchasing an additional 140,450 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,965,923,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,382,547 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $934,033,000 after acquiring an additional 158,617 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,036,881 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $767,978,000 after acquiring an additional 997,033 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,693,568 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $467,415,000 after acquiring an additional 406,658 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 8,147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $1,629,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,510 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,702,000. The trade was a 37.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.14, for a total transaction of $1,941,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 132,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,708,601.22. This represents a 7.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 19,747 shares of company stock valued at $3,947,088 in the last ninety days. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be given a dividend of $0.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Quest Diagnostics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Quest Diagnostics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple EPS forecasts, including estimates for Q3 and Q4 2026, Q1–Q3 2027, FY2027, Q1–Q2 2028 and FY2028. The firm lifted its FY2026 estimate to $11.15 from $10.66, FY2027 to $11.71 from $11.50, and FY2028 to $12.90 from $12.50. These revisions imply confidence in Quest Diagnostics’ earnings growth beyond the current year.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks increased its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $2.82 from $2.79, Q4 2026 to $2.71 from $2.60, Q1 2027 to $2.72 from $2.62, Q2 2027 to $2.99 from $2.86, Q3 2027 to $3.10 from $2.97, Q1 2028 to $3.10 from $2.89 and Q2 2028 to $3.30 from $3.06. The broad-based upgrades are the clearest near-term catalyst for DGX.
• Positive Sentiment: Quest Diagnostics declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.86 per share, payable October 21 to shareholders of record October 6. The dividend supports the stock’s income appeal and represents an annualized yield of approximately 1.5%. Quest Diagnostics Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: The FY2026 EPS estimate of $11.15 now matches consensus and remains within Quest’s guidance range of $11.05–$11.25, limiting the immediate surprise but reinforcing expectations for solid execution.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q4 2027 EPS estimate to $2.90 from $3.05, partially offsetting the other increases. However, the broader FY2027 forecast was still raised.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a leading provider of diagnostic information services that supports clinical decision-making for patients, physicians and healthcare organizations. The company operates a network of clinical laboratories and patient service centers that perform a broad range of laboratory tests and diagnostic assays used in routine care, disease diagnosis, monitoring and screening.

Its services span core clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, molecular and genomic diagnostics, infectious disease testing and toxicology.