Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
‘s
DGX
second-quarter 2022 adjusted earnings per share of $2.36 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.8%. Adjusted earnings, however, plunged 25.8% from the year-ago adjusted figure.
Certain one-time expenses, like the ones related to amortization expenses, and certain restructuring and integration charges, as well as gains and losses on investments, were excluded from the quarter’s adjusted figures.
GAAP earnings came in at $1.96 per share, a significant decline from the year-ago reported EPS of $4.96.
Revenues
Reported revenues in the second quarter dropped 3.8% year over year to $2.45 billion. Revenues, however, exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7.5%. While the company’s legacy base business saw a year-over-year improvement, COVID-19 testing revenues dropped significantly in the reported quarter.
Quarterly Details
Base Business (excludes COVID-19 testing) revenues were $2.09 billion in the reported quarter, up 2.9% year over year. COVID-19 testing revenues on the other hand plunged 30.5% in the second quarter to $355 million.
Diagnostic information services revenues in the quarter were down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis to $2.38 billion.
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated price-eps-surprise
|
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Quote
Volumes (measured by the number of requisitions) were down 1.4% year over year in the second quarter (down 2.4% organically). Revenue per requisition dropped 2.6% year over year.
Margins
The cost of services during the reported quarter was $1.61 billion, up 2.9% year over year. The gross margin was 34.3%, reflecting a 430-basis point (bp) contraction from the year-ago figure.
Selling, general and administrative expenses declined 1.6% to $422 million in the quarter under review. Adjusted operating margin of 17.1% represented a 468-bp contraction year over year.
Cash, Capital Structure and Solvency
Quest Diagnostics exited the second quarter of 2022 with cash and cash equivalents of $790 million compared with $712 million at the end of the first quarter. Cumulative net cash provided by operating activities at the end of the second quarter was $882 million compared with $1.19 billion in the year-ago period.
In the second quarter, the company repurchased 1.4 million shares for $200 million. In February 2022, Quest Diagnostics’ board of directors increased the size of its share repurchase program by $1 billion. As of Jun 30, 2022, the company had $1.1 billion available under its existing share repurchase authorization.
The company has a
5-year annualized
dividend growth rate of 7.43%.
2022 Guidance Raised
Banking on consistent improvement in the company’s Base business, Quest Diagnostics has raised its full-year 2022 guidance.
Full-year net revenues are currently estimated in the range of $9.50-$9.75 billion (compared with the earlier projection of $9.20-$9.50 billion). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is pegged lower at $9.33 billion.
Adjusted EPS is now expected in the range of $9.55-$9.95 (the earlier guided range was $9.00-$9.50). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the metric is pegged at $9.18.
Our Take
Quest Diagnostics reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and revenues. However, on a year-over-year basis, the company reported a decline on both fronts due to lower COVID-19 testing demand. Margin contraction was a downside too.
According to the company, the base business performed well despite the industry-wide softer utilization trends. The company has ramped up investments to accelerate growth in the base business, particularly in the areas of advanced diagnostics and direct-to-consumer testing.
With a bullish expectation for the remainder of 2022, the company raised its full-year guidance.
Zacks Rank
Quest Diagnostics currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Upcoming Earnings
Here are some medical stocks that are due to report soon. These have the right combination of a positive
Earnings ESP
and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy), or #3 to post an earnings beat this quarter.
Merck & Co., Inc.
MRK
has an Earnings ESP of +7.18% and a Zacks Rank of #1. The company will release second-quarter 2022 results on Jul 28. You can see
the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Merck has a long-term earnings growth rate of 10.1%. MRK’s earnings yield of 7.93% compares favorably with the industry’s 7.91%.
Alcon Inc.
ALC
has an Earnings ESP of +5.07% and a Zacks Rank of #2. Alcon’s long-term expected earnings-growth rate is pegged at 14.3%.
Alcon’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 14.3%. ALC’s earnings yield of 3.33% compares with the industry’s (8.43%).
BrainsWay Ltd.
BWAY
currently has an Earnings ESP of +33.33% and a Zacks Rank of #2.
BrainsWay’s 2023 earnings growth rate is estimated to be 16.7%. BWAY’s 2023 revenue-growth expectation is pegged at 17.1%.
5 Stocks Set to Double
Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.
Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.
Click to get this free report