Q3 EPS Estimate for Quest Diagnostics Increased by Analyst

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report issued on Wednesday, September 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the medical research company will post earnings of $2.83 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.82. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $11.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics’ FY2027 earnings at $11.73 EPS.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Quest Diagnostics from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Argus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.31.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:DGX opened at $235.68 on Thursday. Quest Diagnostics has a 1 year low of $171.18 and a 1 year high of $247.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $229.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $209.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.02, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.55.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 9.18%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.62 EPS. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.250 EPS.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.11, for a total transaction of $5,513,005.47. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.72, for a total value of $2,427,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 122,423 shares in the company, valued at $29,714,510.56. This represents a 7.55% 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 sold 34,277 shares of company stock worth $8,316,493 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Key Financial Inc grew its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 1,728.6% during the first quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 128 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) is a provider of diagnostic information services. The company performs laboratory testing used to help diagnose, monitor and manage diseases and other health conditions, serving physicians, hospitals, health plans, employers, government agencies and individual consumers.

Its services include routine blood and urine testing, advanced and esoteric diagnostics, molecular and genetic testing, anatomic pathology, cancer testing, drug screening and wellness-related assessments.