Q2 2026 EPS Estimates for Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Lifted by Zacks Research (NYSE:DGX)

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report issued on Tuesday, September 24th. Zacks Research analyst M. Mondal now forecasts that the medical research company will earn $2.59 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.58. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $8.89 per share.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $153.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Evercore ISI started coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $144.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $150.00 to $158.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quest Diagnostics presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $154.33.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $154.80 on Friday. Quest Diagnostics has a fifty-two week low of $119.59 and a fifty-two week high of $159.36. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $151.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market cap of $17.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.89.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.35% and a net margin of 8.99%. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.39 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Quest Diagnostics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is currently 40.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total transaction of $304,987.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,756,206.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.08, for a total value of $60,093.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $718,118.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total transaction of $304,987.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,756,206.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DGX. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Quest Diagnostics by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,921,955 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,853,151,000 after purchasing an additional 345,754 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,632,326 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $362,945,000 after acquiring an additional 18,533 shares during the period. Davis Selected Advisers raised its position in Quest Diagnostics by 0.4% in the second quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 2,390,828 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $327,257,000 after acquiring an additional 9,665 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 6.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,109,515 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $288,758,000 after acquiring an additional 129,395 shares during the period. Finally, Nuance Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 681,636 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $90,733,000 after purchasing an additional 79,152 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 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.