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The 2026 Q1 earnings season continues to roll along, with a wide variety of companies revealing results in the coming days. The cycle has overall been strong, with growth remaining solid and a decent number of companies exceeding quarterly expectations.
And concerning those exceeding quarterly expectations, UnitedHealth Group (UNH - Free Report) , Quanta Services (PWR - Free Report) , and Quest Diagnostics (DGX - Free Report) both raised their outlooks, with each also seeing a nice pop following their results.
UnitedHealth
UnitedHealth posted a double beat relative to our consensus expectations, with both EPS and sales moving modestly higher year-over-year. It reflected the company’s first double-beat in several quarters, helping underpin the favorable reaction shares enjoyed post-earnings.
The company’s EPS outlook remains bullish, with estimates drifting higher across all timeframes illustrated below. The favorable revisions are led by a guidance upgrade, with UNH raising its FY26 earnings outlook.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics similarly posted a double-beat relative to our consensus expectations, marking the sixth consecutive period in which it exceeded both EPS and sales expectations. Sales grew 9.2% from the year-ago period, whereas EPS grew by a double-digit 13.1% YoY.
The company raised both its EPS and sales guidance for its current FY26 amid the favorable results, with DGX seeing favorable revisions following the release.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Quanta Services
Quanta Services yet again delivered another set of robust quarterly results, with both EPS and sales results beating Zacks Consensus Estimates. Adjusted EPS of $2.68 grew by a sizable 50% YoY and reflected a 31.4% surprise, whereas sales of $7.9 billion saw a double-digit 26.3% YoY climb. Importantly, the backlog reached a record $48.5 billion, helping underpin its broader business momentum for a long time to come.
Quanta Services raised guidance across many metrics, driven by a favorable demand environment, further adding to the positivity. The broad guidance hike is very bullish from a share momentum standpoint, a big driver behind the stock’s surge after it reported.
EPS revisions remain bullish nearly across the board.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Bottom Line
Guidance upgrades are generally among the most bullish announcements a company can make, signaling that the outlook is even better than previously expected. Upgrades commonly lead to share outperformance, with UnitedHealth (UNH - Free Report) , Quanta Services (PWR - Free Report) , and Quest Diagnostics (DGX - Free Report) seeing bullish share reactions following their results.
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Bullish Quarterly Results: 3 Companies Raising Guidance
The 2026 Q1 earnings season continues to roll along, with a wide variety of companies revealing results in the coming days. The cycle has overall been strong, with growth remaining solid and a decent number of companies exceeding quarterly expectations.
And concerning those exceeding quarterly expectations, UnitedHealth Group (UNH - Free Report) , Quanta Services (PWR - Free Report) , and Quest Diagnostics (DGX - Free Report) both raised their outlooks, with each also seeing a nice pop following their results.
UnitedHealth
UnitedHealth posted a double beat relative to our consensus expectations, with both EPS and sales moving modestly higher year-over-year. It reflected the company’s first double-beat in several quarters, helping underpin the favorable reaction shares enjoyed post-earnings.
The company’s EPS outlook remains bullish, with estimates drifting higher across all timeframes illustrated below. The favorable revisions are led by a guidance upgrade, with UNH raising its FY26 earnings outlook.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics similarly posted a double-beat relative to our consensus expectations, marking the sixth consecutive period in which it exceeded both EPS and sales expectations. Sales grew 9.2% from the year-ago period, whereas EPS grew by a double-digit 13.1% YoY.
The company raised both its EPS and sales guidance for its current FY26 amid the favorable results, with DGX seeing favorable revisions following the release.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Quanta Services
Quanta Services yet again delivered another set of robust quarterly results, with both EPS and sales results beating Zacks Consensus Estimates. Adjusted EPS of $2.68 grew by a sizable 50% YoY and reflected a 31.4% surprise, whereas sales of $7.9 billion saw a double-digit 26.3% YoY climb. Importantly, the backlog reached a record $48.5 billion, helping underpin its broader business momentum for a long time to come.
Quanta Services raised guidance across many metrics, driven by a favorable demand environment, further adding to the positivity. The broad guidance hike is very bullish from a share momentum standpoint, a big driver behind the stock’s surge after it reported.
EPS revisions remain bullish nearly across the board.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Bottom Line
Guidance upgrades are generally among the most bullish announcements a company can make, signaling that the outlook is even better than previously expected. Upgrades commonly lead to share outperformance, with UnitedHealth (UNH - Free Report) , Quanta Services (PWR - Free Report) , and Quest Diagnostics (DGX - Free Report) seeing bullish share reactions following their results.