Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for DGX Earnings

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for Quest Diagnostics in a note issued to investors on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the medical research company will post earnings of $2.58 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.47. The consensus estimate for Quest Diagnostics’ current full-year earnings is $9.70 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Quest Diagnostics’ Q1 2027 earnings at $2.54 EPS.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.07. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 15.57%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.23 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $210.29.

Quest Diagnostics Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DGX opened at $208.23 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.80, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Quest Diagnostics has a 1-year low of $157.20 and a 1-year high of $213.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $190.63 and a 200-day moving average of $185.47.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quest Diagnostics

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DGX. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Quest Diagnostics by 119.7% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 380 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Quest Diagnostics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $333,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Quest Diagnostics in the fourth quarter worth $527,000. Dean Capital Management grew its position in Quest Diagnostics by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 12,478 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,165,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 169.7% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 3,582 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 2,254 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, EVP Catherine T. Doherty sold 1,433 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total transaction of $293,521.39. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,010,781.66. This represents a 2.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael E. Prevoznik sold 1,111 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.83, for a total transaction of $227,566.13. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 38,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,859,531.93. This trade represents a 2.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 9,164 shares of company stock worth $1,872,363 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 8.16% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This is a positive change from Quest Diagnostics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Quest Diagnostics’s payout ratio is presently 36.57%.

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

Key Quest Diagnostics News

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.