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Here's Why You Should Retain DGX Stock in Your Portfolio Now
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Quest Diagnostics Inc.’s (DGX - Free Report) third-quarter revenue growth can be attributed to the strong momentum in its expanding portfolio of Advanced Services. The company strategically deploys AI and automation to improve its operational quality and efficiency. Its base business volume remains robust, which is highly encouraging. However, the mounting debt burden on DGX’s balance sheet could pose challenges for its operations.
In the past year, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company’s shares have risen 12.7% compared with the industry’s 11.4% growth and the S&P 500 composite’s 20.5% increase.
The renowned provider of diagnostic information services has a market capitalization of $17.33 billion. The company’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 3.41%.
Let’s dig deep.
DGX’s Tailwinds
Strong Growth Momentum in the Base Business: Quest Diagnostics has been experiencing robust volume growth in its core business (excluding COVID Testing), banking on the growth of new physician and hospital customers. The third quarter of 2024 marked another strong base business growth for Physician Lab Services, driven by new customer wins and expanded business, largely due to increased utilization of the company’s Advanced Diagnostics.
In the Hospital Lab Services segment, DGX formed a professional lab services collaboration with a leading health system in New Jersey that includes reference testing and laboratory and supply-chain management.
In the third quarter, the questhealth.com platform reported 40% growth in total revenues. Also, its repeat customer rate has grown to 30% from less than 10% two years ago, largely due to demand for comprehensive health, chronic disease and STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing.
Strong Potential of Advanced Diagnostics: Quest Diagnostics is investing in advanced diagnostics to deliver and scale innovative services that improve patient care and drive growth. In the third quarter, the company generated double-digit revenue growth across several clinical areas. Within brain health, the AD-Detect blood-based Alzheimer’s disease testing has been the key driver. Growth in women’s health was largely driven by prenatal and hereditary genetic testing, as seen in recent quarters. The company continues to see robust testing demand in genital tract infections, which includes several STIs. Additionally, in the cardio-metabolic health space, there is growing interest in several biomarkers that improve early detection of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases like diabetes and kidney disease.
A Strategic Imperative to Drive Operational Excellence: As part of its broader strategy to drive operational improvements across the business, Quest Diagnostics strategically deploys automation and AI to improve quality, service, efficiency and the workforce experience.
In the third quarter, the company completed the build-out of full end-to-end automation for its core routine tests at its Lenexa, KS, laboratory. It is also piloting automated specimen accessioning in its Clifton lab, which will help increase productivity in specimen processing and improve quality.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
DGX’s Headwind
Escalating Debt Level: The company’s solvency level remains a concern. At the end of the third quarter, long-term debt in the balance sheet was $5.65 billion, while the cash and cash equivalent balance was only $764 million. The current portion of the debt stood much higher at $603 million. Moreover, a higher debt level induces higher interest payments, which comes along with the risk of failure to pay the same. The times interest ratio, which indicates the company’s capacity to pay interest, declined 0.4% sequentially to 7.3%.
DGX Stock Estimate Trend
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 earnings per share (EPS) has remained constant at $8.89 in the past 30 days.
The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $9.79 billion, implying a 5.7% increase from the year-ago reported number.
Phibro Animal Health’s earnings are expected to increase 31.9% in fiscal 2025. Its shares have surged 122.3% compared with the industry’s 33.8% growth in the past year. PAHC’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed in one, the average surprise being 4.1%.
Haemonetics has an estimated earnings growth rate of 15.4% for fiscal 2025 compared with the industry’s 11.6%. Shares of the company have lost 15.2% against the industry’s 33.8% growth in the past year. HAE’s earnings surpassed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed on one occasion, the average surprise being 3.5%.
Globus Medical has an estimated 2024 earnings growth rate of 22.4% compared with the industry’s 14.7%. Shares of the company have surged 40.5% compared with the industry’s 4.8% growth in the past year. GMED’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 3.7%.
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Here's Why You Should Retain DGX Stock in Your Portfolio Now
Quest Diagnostics Inc.’s (DGX - Free Report) third-quarter revenue growth can be attributed to the strong momentum in its expanding portfolio of Advanced Services. The company strategically deploys AI and automation to improve its operational quality and efficiency. Its base business volume remains robust, which is highly encouraging. However, the mounting debt burden on DGX’s balance sheet could pose challenges for its operations.
In the past year, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company’s shares have risen 12.7% compared with the industry’s 11.4% growth and the S&P 500 composite’s 20.5% increase.
The renowned provider of diagnostic information services has a market capitalization of $17.33 billion. The company’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 3.41%.
Let’s dig deep.
DGX’s Tailwinds
Strong Growth Momentum in the Base Business: Quest Diagnostics has been experiencing robust volume growth in its core business (excluding COVID Testing), banking on the growth of new physician and hospital customers. The third quarter of 2024 marked another strong base business growth for Physician Lab Services, driven by new customer wins and expanded business, largely due to increased utilization of the company’s Advanced Diagnostics.
In the Hospital Lab Services segment, DGX formed a professional lab services collaboration with a leading health system in New Jersey that includes reference testing and laboratory and supply-chain management.
In the third quarter, the questhealth.com platform reported 40% growth in total revenues. Also, its repeat customer rate has grown to 30% from less than 10% two years ago, largely due to demand for comprehensive health, chronic disease and STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing.
Strong Potential of Advanced Diagnostics: Quest Diagnostics is investing in advanced diagnostics to deliver and scale innovative services that improve patient care and drive growth. In the third quarter, the company generated double-digit revenue growth across several clinical areas. Within brain health, the AD-Detect blood-based Alzheimer’s disease testing has been the key driver. Growth in women’s health was largely driven by prenatal and hereditary genetic testing, as seen in recent quarters. The company continues to see robust testing demand in genital tract infections, which includes several STIs. Additionally, in the cardio-metabolic health space, there is growing interest in several biomarkers that improve early detection of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases like diabetes and kidney disease.
A Strategic Imperative to Drive Operational Excellence: As part of its broader strategy to drive operational improvements across the business, Quest Diagnostics strategically deploys automation and AI to improve quality, service, efficiency and the workforce experience.
In the third quarter, the company completed the build-out of full end-to-end automation for its core routine tests at its Lenexa, KS, laboratory. It is also piloting automated specimen accessioning in its Clifton lab, which will help increase productivity in specimen processing and improve quality.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
DGX’s Headwind
Escalating Debt Level: The company’s solvency level remains a concern. At the end of the third quarter, long-term debt in the balance sheet was $5.65 billion, while the cash and cash equivalent balance was only $764 million. The current portion of the debt stood much higher at $603 million. Moreover, a higher debt level induces higher interest payments, which comes along with the risk of failure to pay the same. The times interest ratio, which indicates the company’s capacity to pay interest, declined 0.4% sequentially to 7.3%.
DGX Stock Estimate Trend
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 earnings per share (EPS) has remained constant at $8.89 in the past 30 days.
The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $9.79 billion, implying a 5.7% increase from the year-ago reported number.
Other Top MedTech Picks
Some other top-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Phibro Animal Health (PAHC - Free Report) , Haemonetics (HAE - Free Report) and Globus Medical (GMED - Free Report) . While Phibro Animal Health sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present, Haemonetics and Globus Medical carry a Zacks Rank #2 each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Phibro Animal Health’s earnings are expected to increase 31.9% in fiscal 2025. Its shares have surged 122.3% compared with the industry’s 33.8% growth in the past year. PAHC’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed in one, the average surprise being 4.1%.
Haemonetics has an estimated earnings growth rate of 15.4% for fiscal 2025 compared with the industry’s 11.6%. Shares of the company have lost 15.2% against the industry’s 33.8% growth in the past year. HAE’s earnings surpassed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed on one occasion, the average surprise being 3.5%.
Globus Medical has an estimated 2024 earnings growth rate of 22.4% compared with the industry’s 14.7%. Shares of the company have surged 40.5% compared with the industry’s 4.8% growth in the past year. GMED’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 3.7%.