Q4 EPS Estimate for Quest Diagnostics Reduced by Analyst

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Equities researchers at Leerink Partnrs reduced their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note issued on Tuesday, October 21st. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now forecasts that the medical research company will post earnings per share of $2.39 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.45. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share.

DGX has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price objective on Quest Diagnostics and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $203.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.31.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

NYSE:DGX opened at $182.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Quest Diagnostics has a 1 year low of $148.70 and a 1 year high of $197.55. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $182.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.89. The company has a market cap of $20.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.42, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.56.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The medical research company reported $2.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.09. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.47% and a net margin of 8.91%.The business had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.30 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.760-9.840 EPS.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is presently 37.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 28,288 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.12, for a total transaction of $5,293,250.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 38,117 shares in the company, valued at $7,132,453.04. The trade was a 42.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 5,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $968,625.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,363,325. The trade was a 22.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 54,668 shares of company stock worth $9,917,788 in the last 90 days. 8.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DGX. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 126.9% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 152 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 369.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 76.6% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 157.3% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Quest Diagnostics

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.