Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook for DGX FY2026 Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Research analysts at Zacks Research raised their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Quest Diagnostics in a report released on Thursday, November 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the medical research company will post earnings of $11.28 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast 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.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Monday, October 19th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $262.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Argus set a $260.00 target price on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $248.70.

Quest Diagnostics Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE DGX opened at $259.21 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $28.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.82, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $240.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $215.21. Quest Diagnostics has a 12 month low of $171.18 and a 12 month high of $262.00.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the second quarter valued at $1,965,923,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. grew 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 worth $439,753,000 after purchasing an additional 582,797 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth about $410,151,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 17,987 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 11.3% during 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 worth $199,743,000 after purchasing an additional 95,804 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 10,000 shares of Quest Diagnostics stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 122,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,714,510.56. The trade was a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Patrick Plewman sold 11,717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.34, for a total transaction of $3,015,252.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,778,780.56. The trade was a 44.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 67,702 shares of company stock valued at $16,730,269. Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 12th. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio is 34.26%.

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

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.