Zacks Research Expects Higher Earnings for Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Quest Diagnostics in a research note issued to investors on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the medical research company will earn $2.37 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.32. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.84 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.79 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.57 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.92 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.90 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.06 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.42 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $12.54 EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore set a $220.00 price target on Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Quest Diagnostics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $210.29.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

DGX stock opened at $208.23 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $190.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $185.47. Quest Diagnostics has a one year low of $157.20 and a one year high of $213.50. The company has a market capitalization of $22.88 billion, a PE ratio of 23.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.66.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.07. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 8.99%.The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Quest Diagnostics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.45-9.650 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Quest Diagnostics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DGX. Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 114.3% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 113.7% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Quest Diagnostics during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 88.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In other Quest Diagnostics news, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 1,111 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total value of $227,566.13. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 38,371 shares in the company, valued at $7,859,531.93. This trade represents a 2.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 1,433 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total transaction of $293,521.39. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,010,781.66. This represents a 2.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 9,164 shares of company stock valued at $1,872,363 in the last quarter. 8.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Quest Diagnostics declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This is an increase from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.57%.

Quest Diagnostics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Quest Diagnostics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised multiyear and several quarterly targets — FY2026 to $10.57 (from $10.26), FY2027 to $11.42 and FY2028 to $12.54, and boosted multiple quarters (including Q2/Q3/Q4 2026 and several 2027 quarters). These upward revisions imply a stronger medium‑term earnings trajectory that can support a higher valuation. MarketBeat: DGX analyst notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Small/isolated tweaks — Q3 2027 was nudged +$0.01 to $2.90 and Q1 2026 was raised modestly to $2.37; these changes are too minor on their own to move sentiment meaningfully. MarketBeat: DGX analyst notes
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q1 2027 estimate to $2.54 from $2.59, a near‑term cut that may weigh on sentiment and explain muted or negative intraday moves despite the larger upward revisions elsewhere. MarketBeat: DGX analyst notes

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) is a leading provider of diagnostic information services that supports clinical decision-making for patients, physicians and healthcare organizations. The company operates a network of clinical laboratories and patient service centers that perform a broad range of laboratory tests and diagnostic assays used in routine care, disease diagnosis, monitoring and screening.

Its services span core clinical laboratory testing, anatomic pathology, molecular and genomic diagnostics, infectious disease testing and toxicology.