Quest Diagnostics

DGX · NYSE · Health Care · Financials, fiscal 2016 to 2025

DGX · Last close · October 26, 2026

$242.95

Quest Diagnostics' revenue rose 11.8% to $11.0 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 14.1%, up from 13.6% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $1.4 billion, up 49.5%. It paid out $803 million in dividends and buybacks, 59% of free cash flow.

Quest Diagnostics Inc Latest fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 10-K filed February 26, 2026 · 0001022079-26-000015 Updated October 23, 2026

Revenue

$11.0B

11.8%

Operating margin

14.1%

0.5 pts

Net income

$992M

13.9%

Free cash flow

$1.4B

49.5%

Return on capital

9.5%

0.5 pts

Market cap

$27.2B

Oct 26 close

P/E

24.2x

On $10.04 EPS, 4 qtrs

Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.

Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.

Revenue and margins

Revenue

US$ billions, fiscal years

Margins

Percent of revenue

GrossOperatingNetFree cash flow

Net income and earnings per share

From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share grew 7.6% a year and net income 4.9% a year, as buybacks cut the share count by 20%.

Net income

US$ billions, fiscal years; loss years in red.

Diluted earnings per share

US$ per share, fiscal years, restated for any stock splits; loss years in red.

Returns on capital

Return on capital and on equity

Percent. Return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business (debt plus equity, minus cash); return on equity is net income over shareholders' equity. Both use the average of opening and closing balances.

Return on capitalReturn on equity

Cash flow

Free cash flow

US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure; negative years in red.

Payouts and share count

Dividends and buybacks

US$ billions, cash paid in each fiscal year

DividendsShare buybacks

Diluted share count

Weighted-average diluted shares, millions

Valuation

Two ways to value Quest Diagnostics yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.

What Quest Diagnostics says to expect

Full year 2026: revenuesFull year 2026 revenues now expected to be between $12.065 billion and $12.105 billion
Full year 2026: earnings per shareFull year 2026 reported diluted EPS now expected to be between $10.21 and $10.31; and adjusted diluted EPS expected to be between $11.25 and $11.35

The company's own words, from its earnings release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99), filed October 22, 2026. They are its expectations, not ours, and not a forecast or price target from The Filing Desk. Replaced when the next release is out.

Discounted cash flow (DCF)

A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from Quest Diagnostics' 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from Quest Diagnostics' fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $1.4B, net cash of −$5.3B at December 31, 2025 and 113 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to Quest Diagnostics: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, 3.7% a year; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 8%: 7% for a stable business (Health Care Services), plus 1 point for unsteady results (revenue fell in two of the last five years); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

From the filings

Starting free cash flow, US$ millions

Cash from operations minus capital spending in fiscal 2025.

Net cash, US$ millions

Cash and short-term investments minus debt and finance leases at December 31, 2025. Negative means net debt.

Diluted shares, millions

Weighted-average diluted shares in fiscal 2025.

Your assumptions

Start from

Fitted to Quest Diagnostics's own revenue growth, as above. Cautious: growth of 1.5% then 2% a year, 2% after year 10, a 9% discount rate. Base: growth of 3.5% then 3% a year, 2.5% after year 10, a 8% discount rate. Optimistic: growth of 5.5% then 4% a year, 3% after year 10, a 7% discount rate.

Free cash flow growth, years 1 to 5 (% a year)

Free cash flow growth, years 6 to 10 (% a year)

Growth after year 10 (% a year)Long-run growth forever after year 10. Usually close to inflation, and always below the discount rate.

Discount rate (% a year)The yearly return an investor wants for the risk. A higher rate gives a lower value.

Value per share on these assumptions

—

Last close, October 26, 2026: $242.95
Value on these assumptions, against the last close: —

Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today: —
Everything after year 10, valued today: —
Plus net cash: —
Share of value from after year 10: —

Projected free cash flow

US$ billions. Each column is one year's projected free cash flow, split into what it is worth today and the part removed by discounting.

Value todayRemoved by discounting

How the value changes with two assumptions

Value per share in US$, with the growth rates above. The highlighted cell matches the current assumptions.

How the model works. Free cash flow grows at the first rate for five years and the second rate for five more, and each year is discounted at the discount rate. Everything after year 10 is valued as year-10 cash flow × (1 + growth after year 10) ÷ (discount rate − growth after year 10), discounted back ten years. Net cash is added and the total is divided by diluted shares. The result depends entirely on the assumptions. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation. The last close is the consolidated US closing price, from Databento.

Price-to-earnings (P/E) method

Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from Quest Diagnostics' earnings per share of $10.04 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 28×, the middle of Quest Diagnostics' own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (the Health Care median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 9%, 8% and 7%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

Earnings per share, US$

Diluted earnings per share over the four quarters to September 30, 2026, from the 10-Qs and 10-K.

P/E multiple

P/E today is the last close divided by the latest earnings per share, the four quarters' where available. Peers: BrightSpring Health Services, DaVita, Labcorp, Alignment Healthcare.

Earnings growth in the years ahead (% a year) Starts at Quest Diagnostics' revenue growth over the last 3 years, 3.7% a year, as the base scenario does.

Earnings per share in the years ahead, US$

Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5

Type your own estimate for any year; the years after it carry on at the growth rate.

Apply the multiple to earnings

A multiple on a future year's earnings gives the price then, brought back to today at the discount rate below.

Discount rate (% a year) The yearly return an investor wants for the risk, as in the cash flow model.

Value per share today at this multiple

—

Last close, October 26, 2026: $242.95
Value at this multiple, against the last close: —
Quest Diagnostics' P/E at the last close: 24.2×

Company	Last close	Earnings per share	P/E today
Alignment HealthcareALHC	$7.89	$0.19	41.5×
BrightSpring Health ServicesBTSG	$58.88	$1.66	35.5×
LabcorpLH	$329.90	$12.09	27.3×
Quest DiagnosticsDGX	$242.95	$10.04	24.2×
DaVitaDVA	$184.03	$12.15	15.1×

How the P/E method works. Value per share is earnings per share times the multiple. On a future year's earnings, that gives the price in that year, which is brought back to today at the discount rate: price ÷ (1 + discount rate) for each year ahead. It is quick and easy to compare across companies, but it ignores debt and cash, and earnings can swing with one-off gains and charges, so a multiple says most about steady, profitable businesses. Like the cash flow model, the result depends entirely on the assumptions you choose. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation.

Balance sheet

Fiscal year end	FY21	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25
Cash and short-term investments	872	315	686	549	420
Debt incl. finance leases	4,046	3,989	4,720	6,234	5,692
Net debt (negative means net cash)	3,174	3,674	4,034	5,685	5,272
Net debt to EBITDA	1.1x	2.0x	2.4x	3.1x	2.5x
Debt to equity	0.6x	0.7x	0.8x	0.9x	0.8x
Interest coverage	15.7x	9.7x	7.7x	5.1x	5.6x
Current ratio	1.6x	1.2x	1.3x	1.1x	1.0x
Quick ratio	1.4x	1.1x	1.2x	1.0x	1.0x

US$ millions unless stated, at each fiscal year end. Net debt to EBITDA is debt minus cash, divided by operating income before depreciation and amortization: roughly how many years of those earnings the net debt equals. Debt to equity is debt as a multiple of shareholders' equity. Interest coverage is operating income divided by interest expense. The current ratio is current assets over current liabilities; the quick ratio leaves out inventory.

Insider trades

Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, no insider bought Quest Diagnostics shares on the open market, and 7 insiders sold $37.0 million, $36.2 million of it under trading plans set up in advance.

Date	Insider	Trade	Shares	Price	Value	Filing
Sep 1, 2026	J. E. DavisCEO and President, Director	Sold plan	10,000	$242.72	$2.4 million	Form 4
Aug 28, 2026	Michael E PrevoznikSVP & General Counsel	Sold plan	22,677	$243.12	$5.5 million	Form 4
Jul 28, 2026	Mark E DelaneySVP & Chief Commercial Officer	Sold plan	1,600	$235.18	$376,288	Form 4
Jun 4, 2026	Karthik KuppusamySVP, Clinical Solutions	Sold plan	8,147	$200.00	$1.6 million	Form 4
Jun 1, 2026	J. E. DavisCEO and President, Director	Sold plan	10,000	$194.14	$1.9 million	Form 4
Mar 5, 2026	Catherine T. DohertyEVP, Regional Businesses	Sold plan	5,558	$206.21	$1.1 million	Form 4
Mar 5, 2026	Michael E PrevoznikSVP & General Counsel	Sold plan	3,878	$206.21	$799,682	Form 4
Mar 5, 2026	Patrick PlewmanSVP for Diagnostic Services	Sold plan	2,855	$206.21	$588,730	Form 4
Mar 4, 2026	Karthik KuppusamySVP, Clinical Solutions	Sold	2,628	$204.86	$538,372	Form 4
Mar 3, 2026	Catherine T. DohertyEVP, Regional Businesses	Sold plan	632	$207.73	$131,285	Form 4
Mar 3, 2026	Michael E PrevoznikSVP & General Counsel	Sold plan	526	$207.73	$109,266	Form 4
Mar 3, 2026	Patrick PlewmanSVP for Diagnostic Services	Sold plan	410	$207.73	$85,169	Form 4

The latest 12 of 21 trades. Open-market purchases and sales by officers, directors and 10% owners, from their Form 4 filings with the SEC: one row per person, day and filing, at the day's average price. Grants, option exercises and shares withheld for tax aren't counted. Insiders buy and sell for many reasons, such as taxes, spreading their savings or a plan set up months earlier, so a trade on its own says little about where a company is heading. For information only, not investment advice. Insider trades at all companies

Piotroski F-score

The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.

Test	FY23	FY24	FY25
Net income is positive	Pass	Pass	Pass
Cash from operations is positive	Pass	Pass	Pass
Return on assets rose	Fail	Fail	Fail
Cash from operations exceeds net income	Pass	Pass	Pass
Debt fell relative to assets	Fail	Fail	Pass
Current ratio rose	Pass	Fail	Fail
Share count didn't rise	Pass	Pass	Pass
Gross margin rose	Fail	Fail	Pass
Revenue rose relative to assets	Fail	Fail	Fail
F-score	5 of 9	4 of 9	6 of 9
Accruals ratio	−3.1%	−3.1%	−5.5%

The accruals ratio is net income minus cash from operations, over average total assets.

Compare

Put Quest Diagnostics side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.

Similar companies

Company	Year	Revenue growth	Operating margin	Free cash flow margin	Return on capital	Net debt to EBITDA	F-score	Compare
Quest Diagnostics	FY25	11.8%	14.1%	12.3%	9.5%	2.5x	6
BrightSpring Health Services	FY25	28.2%	2.3%	3.1%	5.2%	5.3x	7	Compare
DaVita	FY25	6.5%	15.0%	9.6%	17.6%	3.5x	6	Compare
Labcorp	FY25	7.2%	9.9%	8.6%	8.2%	2.5x	7	Compare
Alignment Healthcare	FY25	46.1%	0.4%	2.9%	—	−6.2x	5	Compare

Each company's latest fiscal year. Fiscal years end in different months, so the periods don't line up exactly. Free cash flow margin is free cash flow as a share of revenue. Net debt to EBITDA is explained under the balance sheet, and the F-score above.

10 years of figures

Fiscal year	FY16	FY17	FY18	FY19	FY20	FY21	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25
Income statement
Revenue	7,214	7,402	7,531	7,726	9,437	10,788	9,883	9,252	9,872	11,035
Revenue growth	−3.7%	2.6%	1.7%	2.6%	22.1%	14.3%	−8.4%	−6.4%	6.7%	11.8%
Gross profit	2,899	2,683	2,605	2,689	3,633	4,209	3,433	3,053	3,244	3,665
Research and development	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Operating income	1,277	1,165	1,101	1,231	1,971	2,381	1,428	1,262	1,346	1,556
Net income	645	772	736	858	1,431	1,995	946	854	871	992
Diluted EPS (US$)	4.51	5.50	5.29	6.28	10.47	15.55	7.97	7.49	7.69	8.75
Diluted shares (millions)	142	140	139	136	136	128	118	113	113	113
Cash flow
Cash from operations	1,116	1,175	1,200	1,243	2,005	2,233	1,718	1,272	1,334	1,886
Capital expenditure	293	252	383	400	418	403	404	408	425	527
Free cash flow	823	923	817	843	1,587	1,830	1,314	864	909	1,359
Dividends paid	223	247	266	286	297	309	305	314	331	353
Share buybacks	590	465	322	353	325	2,199	1,408	275	151	450
Acquisitions	139	581	421	58	330	331	144	611	2,164	101
Stock-based compensation	69	79	61	56	97	79	77	77	88	88
Balance sheet at fiscal year end
Cash and short-term investments	359	137	135	1,192	1,158	872	315	686	549	420
Debt incl. finance leases	3,734	3,784	3,893	4,803	4,042	4,046	3,989	4,720	6,234	5,692
Total assets	10,100	10,503	11,003	12,843	14,026	13,611	12,837	14,022	16,153	16,225
Total liabilities	5,440	5,548	5,736	7,156	7,217	7,128	6,907	7,680	9,340	9,019
Shareholders' equity	4,628	4,921	5,216	5,641	6,759	6,444	5,893	6,307	6,778	7,170
Margins and ratios
Gross margin	40.2%	36.2%	34.6%	34.8%	38.5%	39.0%	34.7%	33.0%	32.9%	33.2%
Operating margin	17.7%	15.7%	14.6%	15.9%	20.9%	22.1%	14.4%	13.6%	13.6%	14.1%
Net margin	8.9%	10.4%	9.8%	11.1%	15.2%	18.5%	9.6%	9.2%	8.8%	9.0%
Free cash flow margin	11.4%	12.5%	10.8%	10.9%	16.8%	17.0%	13.3%	9.3%	9.2%	12.3%
Return on capital	9.5%	10.7%	10.0%	10.3%	15.7%	19.0%	11.7%	9.9%	9.0%	9.5%
Return on equity	13.8%	16.2%	14.5%	15.8%	23.1%	30.2%	15.3%	14.0%	13.3%	14.2%
Return on assets	6.4%	7.5%	6.8%	7.2%	10.7%	14.4%	7.2%	6.4%	5.8%	6.1%
Net debt to EBITDA	2.2x	2.5x	2.7x	2.3x	1.2x	1.1x	2.0x	2.4x	3.1x	2.5x

US$ millions unless stated. Where a later 10-K restated a year, the latest filed figure is shown. Download all figures (CSV, US$ millions)

Source: Quest Diagnostics' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR. For information only, not investment advice. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with Quest Diagnostics.