Zacks Research Has Positive Estimate for DGX FY2026 Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Zacks Research raised their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report issued on Thursday, November 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the medical research company will earn $11.28 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $11.15. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $11.29 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics’ Q4 2026 earnings at $2.66 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.09 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.92 EPS and Q3 2028 earnings at $3.44 EPS.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $3.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 9.53% and a return on equity of 16.21%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.60 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on DGX. Wall Street Zen raised Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Argus set a $260.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, October 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (a)” rating to a “buy (a+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $248.70.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

NYSE:DGX opened at $259.21 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics has a 12 month low of $171.18 and a 12 month high of $262.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.52 billion, a PE ratio of 25.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.55. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $240.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $215.21.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DGX. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth about $1,965,923,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. raised its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 2,243,869 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $439,753,000 after acquiring an additional 582,797 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $410,151,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,949,535 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $382,085,000 after acquiring an additional 17,987 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 942,407 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $199,743,000 after purchasing an additional 95,804 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO J. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.72, for a total transaction of $2,427,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,714,510.56. This trade represents a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Michael Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total transaction of $5,513,005.47. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 37,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,130,482.27. This trade represents a 37.65% decrease in their position. 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 67,702 shares of company stock valued at $16,730,269. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 12th will be issued a $0.86 dividend. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 12th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.26%.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a provider of diagnostic information services, conducting laboratory tests that help physicians and other health care professionals diagnose, monitor and manage medical conditions. Its services include routine blood and other clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, and specialized molecular and genetic testing. The company serves patients, physicians, hospitals, health plans, employers and government organizations. In addition to testing performed through its laboratories and patient service centers, Quest offers services such as workplace drug testing and diagnostic support for clinical research.