Fool Checkup: Quest Diagnostics Earnings

Updated

Quest Diagnostics (NYS: DGX) reported earnings on Oct. 17. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), Quest Diagnostics missed estimates on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue dropped slightly and GAAP earnings per share contracted.


Margins shrank across the board.

Revenue details
Quest Diagnostics recorded revenue of $1.85 billion. The 17 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for a top line of $1.91 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 2.9% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.91 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $1.18. The 22 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $1.18 per share. GAAP EPS of $1.01 for Q3 were 6.5% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.08 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 41.1%, 120 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 16.7%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 8.8%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.85 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.11.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $7.55 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.51.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 540 members out of 573 rating the stock outperform, and 33 members rating it underperform. Among 167 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 158 give Quest Diagnostics a green thumbs-up, and nine give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Quest Diagnostics is hold, with an average price target of $62.16.

The article Fool Checkup: Quest Diagnostics Earnings originally appeared on Fool.com.

Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Quest Diagnostics. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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