Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of DGX Q4 Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report released on Wednesday, September 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the medical research company will post earnings of $2.70 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.71. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $11.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics’ Q4 2027 earnings at $2.91 EPS.

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

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on DGX. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $232.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Argus set a $260.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.31.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $231.15 on Friday. 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 $247.19. The company has a market capitalization of $25.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.54, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $229.32 and its 200 day moving average is $209.20.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 22,677 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.18, for a total transaction of $376,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,430,585.30. This represents a 13.41% 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. Insiders have sold 34,277 shares of company stock worth $8,316,493 in the last ninety days. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 22,733.0% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 37,043,773 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $7,851,428,000 after buying an additional 36,881,535 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,965,923,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at approximately $410,151,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $229,522,000. Finally, Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 32.8% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,036,881 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $767,978,000 after purchasing an additional 997,033 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.