Quest Diagnostics Inc (NYSE: DGX)

Sector: Healthcare Industry: Diagnostics & Research CIK: 0001022079
Market Cap 19.56 Bn
P/B 2.70
P/E 20.19
P/S 1.80
ROIC (Qtr) 8.55
Div Yield % 1.81
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 13.18
Total Debt (Qtr) 6.38 Bn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.88

About

Quest Diagnostics Inc., known by its ticker symbol DGX, is a prominent player in the healthcare industry, specializing in diagnostic information services. The company's operations span across the healthcare ecosystem, with a strategic focus on growth generation and operational efficiency. Quest Diagnostics' primary business activities revolve around providing diagnostic information services, catering to a diverse range of customers including physicians, hospitals, health plans, and employers. The company's services extend to approximately half...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Operating cash flow of 1.89B provides exceptional 33.07x coverage of minority interest expenses 57M, showing strong core operations.
  • Operating cash flow of 1.89B provides strong 20.94x coverage of stock compensation 90M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Robust free cash flow of 1.39B exceeds capital expenditure of 492M by 2.83x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Retained earnings of 9.84B provide full 1.72x coverage of long-term debt 5.71B, indicating strong internal capital position.
  • Robust tangible asset base of 5.63B provides 20.64x coverage of working capital 273M, indicating strong operational backing.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 1.89B barely covers its investment activities of (942M), with a coverage ratio of -2, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 1.89B provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (347M) with a -5.43 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Cash reserves of 432M provide limited coverage of acquisition spending of (434M), which is -1x, suggesting aggressive expansion might strain liquidity if market conditions deteriorate.
  • High receivables of 1.46B relative to inventory of 186M (7.83 ratio) suggests aggressive credit terms or collection difficulties, potentially masking revenue quality issues.
  • Operating earnings of 1.53B show weak coverage of depreciation charges of 560M, with a 2.74 ratio indicating high capital intensity and potential reinvestment needs.

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2024)

Peer comparison

Companies in the Diagnostics & Research
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 TMO Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 234.48 Bn 35.69 5.36 35.68 Bn
2 DHR Danaher Corp /De/ 171.11 Bn 48.85 7.05 16.86 Bn
3 IDXX Idexx Laboratories Inc /De 57.62 Bn 56.08 13.83 1.09 Bn
4 IQV Iqvia Holdings Inc. 42.37 Bn 33.03 2.66 15.19 Bn
5 A Agilent Technologies, Inc. 42.16 Bn 32.36 6.07 3.35 Bn
6 NTRA Natera, Inc. 31.64 Bn -102.32 14.95 0.18 Bn
7 MTD Mettler Toledo International Inc/ 30.89 Bn 36.96 7.84 2.21 Bn
8 WAT Waters Corp /De/ 23.59 Bn 36.37 7.60 1.49 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 1.58 2.82
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 13.60 19.55
EV to Debt EV to Debt 4.02 54.87
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 16.70 18.82
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 12.26 4.36
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 18.40 17.63
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.31 1.58
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 2.36 5.06
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 2.70 1.35
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 20.19 18.88
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 2.79 -2.00
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 35.90 2.86
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 2.35 0.19
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 18.89 1.94
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 5.79 -128.90
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -31.55 -35.01
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) -43.46 23.84
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) -20.61 0.25
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 19.84 9.72
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 21.64 -444.66
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 21.63 8.29
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 16.94 -6.03
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 14.89 15.59
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 36.17 56.57
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 15.73 185.75
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.67 0.57
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.15 0.01
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 0.20 1.23
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 1.13 2.70
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.88 -0.84
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 5.79 -128.90
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 5.79 -128.90
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 19.30 -97.22
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 14.15 -115.64
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 11.71 -114.24
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 33.30 44.76
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 8.90 -113.12