Leerink Partnrs Issues Negative Estimate for DGX Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX - Free Report) - Analysts at Leerink Partnrs lowered their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for Quest Diagnostics in a note issued to investors on Friday, April 4th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now forecasts that the medical research company will earn $2.58 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.59. Leerink Partnrs has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics' current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics' Q3 2025 earnings at $2.54 EPS.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The medical research company reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 15.07%.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Leerink Partners raised shares of Quest Diagnostics from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $169.00 to $174.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $181.33.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.0 %

Quest Diagnostics stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $163.82. 2,218,365 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 951,690. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $18.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.30, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.78. The business has a fifty day moving average of $168.51 and a 200 day moving average of $159.92. Quest Diagnostics has a 12-month low of $125.42 and a 12-month high of $178.87.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO J. E. Davis sold 39,191 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.46, for a total transaction of $6,602,115.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 127,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,499,370.58. This trade represents a 23.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 2,555 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $434,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,797,750. The trade was a 19.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,903 shares of company stock valued at $9,460,221 over the last quarter. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DGX. Radnor Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the first quarter worth about $213,000. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Quest Diagnostics by 23.5% in the 1st quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,132 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $421,000. Atwater Malick LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Atwater Malick LLC now owns 56,648 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $9,585,000 after purchasing an additional 1,512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics in the 1st quarter valued at $102,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.06% of the company's stock.

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.