William Blair Issues Pessimistic Outlook for DGX Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Research analysts at William Blair reduced their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report issued on Tuesday, October 22nd. William Blair analyst A. Brackmann now forecasts that the medical research company will post earnings of $2.18 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.32. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $8.89 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics’ Q2 2025 earnings at $2.43 EPS.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 15.35%. The business had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $154.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Quest Diagnostics from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Quest Diagnostics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.33.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DGX opened at $155.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Quest Diagnostics has a 1 year low of $123.04 and a 1 year high of $160.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.22 billion, a PE ratio of 20.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $153.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.83.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is 40.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,756,206.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DGX. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,921,955 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,853,151,000 after buying an additional 345,754 shares during the period. Davis Selected Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 2,390,828 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $327,257,000 after purchasing an additional 9,665 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,109,515 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $288,758,000 after purchasing an additional 129,395 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its position in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 748,680 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $115,621,000 after acquiring an additional 15,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuance Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 681,636 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $90,733,000 after acquiring an additional 79,152 shares during the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.