Quest Diagnostics 74834LBC3 Bond

DGX Stock  USD 136.34  1.04  0.76%   
Quest Diagnostics holds a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. At this time, Quest Diagnostics' Short and Long Term Debt is fairly stable compared to the past year. Debt To Equity is likely to rise to 0.88 in 2024, whereas Short and Long Term Debt Total is likely to drop slightly above 3.1 B in 2024. With a high degree of financial leverage come high-interest payments, which usually reduce Quest Diagnostics' Earnings Per Share (EPS).

Asset vs Debt

Equity vs Debt

Quest Diagnostics' liquidity is one of the most fundamental aspects of both its future profitability and its ability to meet different types of ongoing financial obligations. Quest Diagnostics' cash, liquid assets, total liabilities, and shareholder equity can be utilized to evaluate how much leverage the Company is using to sustain its current operations. For traders, higher-leverage indicators usually imply a higher risk to shareholders. In addition, it helps Quest Stock's retail investors understand whether an upcoming fall or rise in the market will negatively affect Quest Diagnostics' stakeholders.
For most companies, including Quest Diagnostics, marketable securities, inventories, and receivables are the most common assets that could be converted to cash. However, for the executing running Quest Diagnostics Incorporated the most critical issue when dealing with liquidity needs is whether the current assets are properly aligned with its current liabilities. If not, management will need to obtain alternative financing to ensure that there are always enough cash equivalents on the balance sheet in reserve to pay for obligations.
Price Book
2.2632
Book Value
57.946
Operating Margin
0.134
Profit Margin
0.0911
Return On Assets
0.062
At this time, Quest Diagnostics' Short and Long Term Debt is fairly stable compared to the past year. Debt To Equity is likely to rise to 0.88 in 2024, whereas Short and Long Term Debt Total is likely to drop slightly above 3.1 B in 2024.
  
Check out the analysis of Quest Diagnostics Fundamentals Over Time.
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Given the importance of Quest Diagnostics' capital structure, the first step in the capital decision process is for the management of Quest Diagnostics to decide how much external capital it will need to raise to operate in a sustainable way. Once the amount of financing is determined, management needs to examine the financial markets to determine the terms in which the company can boost capital. This move is crucial to the process because the market environment may reduce the ability of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated to issue bonds at a reasonable cost.
Popular NameQuest Diagnostics US74834LBC37
SpecializationHealth Care Equipment & Services
Equity ISIN CodeUS74834L1008
Bond Issue ISIN CodeUS74834LBC37
View All Quest Diagnostics Outstanding Bonds

Quest Diagnostics Outstanding Bond Obligations

Understaning Quest Diagnostics Use of Financial Leverage

Quest Diagnostics financial leverage ratio helps in determining the effect of debt on the overall profitability of the company. It measures Quest Diagnostics's total debt position, including all of outstanding debt obligations, and compares it with the equity. In simple terms, the high financial leverage means the cost of production, together with running the business day-to-day, is high, whereas, lower financial leverage implies lower fixed cost investment in the business and generally considered by investors to be a good sign. So if creditors own a majority of Quest Diagnostics assets, the company is considered highly leveraged. Understanding the composition and structure of overall Quest Diagnostics debt and outstanding corporate bonds gives a good idea of how risky the capital structure of a business and if it is worth investing in it. Financial leverage can amplify the potential profits to Quest Diagnostics' owners, but it also increases the potential losses and risk of financial distress, including bankruptcy, if the firm cannot cover its debt costs. The degree of Quest Diagnostics' financial leverage can be measured in several ways, including by ratios such as the debt-to-equity ratio (total debt / total equity), equity multiplier (total assets / total equity), or the debt ratio (total debt / total assets).
Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Short and Long Term Debt Total5.4 B3.1 B
Net Debt4.7 B2.7 B
Short Term Debt456 M241.5 M
Long Term Debt4.4 BB
Long Term Debt Total4.6 B3.9 B
Short and Long Term Debt432 M453.6 M
Net Debt To EBITDA 2.62  1.50 
Debt To Equity 0.77  0.88 
Interest Debt Per Share 44.80  47.04 
Debt To Assets 0.35  0.28 
Long Term Debt To Capitalization 0.41  0.33 
Total Debt To Capitalization 0.44  0.48 
Debt Equity Ratio 0.77  0.88 
Debt Ratio 0.35  0.28 
Cash Flow To Debt Ratio 0.26  0.40 
Please read more on our technical analysis page.

Quest Diagnostics Investors Sentiment

The influence of Quest Diagnostics' investor sentiment on the probability of its price appreciation or decline could be a good factor in your decision-making process regarding taking a position in Quest. The overall investor sentiment generally increases the direction of a stock movement in a one-year investment horizon. However, the impact of investor sentiment on the entire stock market does not have solid backing from leading economists and market statisticians.
Investor biases related to Quest Diagnostics' public news can be used to forecast risks associated with an investment in Quest. The trend in average sentiment can be used to explain how an investor holding Quest can time the market purely based on public headlines and social activities around Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. Please note that most equities that are difficult to arbitrage are affected by market sentiment the most.
Quest Diagnostics' market sentiment shows the aggregated news analyzed to detect positive and negative mentions from the text and comments. The data is normalized to provide daily scores for Quest Diagnostics' and other traded tickers. The bigger the bubble, the more accurate is the estimated score. Higher bars for a given day show more participation in the average Quest Diagnostics' news discussions. The higher the estimated score, the more favorable is the investor's outlook on Quest Diagnostics.
Some investors attempt to determine whether the market's mood is bullish or bearish by monitoring changes in market sentiment. Unlike more traditional methods such as technical analysis, investor sentiment usually refers to the aggregate attitude towards Quest Diagnostics in the overall investment community. So, suppose investors can accurately measure the market's sentiment. In that case, they can use it for their benefit. For example, some tools to gauge market sentiment could be utilized using contrarian indexes, Quest Diagnostics' short interest history, or implied volatility extrapolated from Quest Diagnostics options trading.
When determining whether Quest Diagnostics offers a strong return on investment in its stock, a comprehensive analysis is essential. The process typically begins with a thorough review of Quest Diagnostics' financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements, to assess its financial health. Key financial ratios are used to gauge profitability, efficiency, and growth potential of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Stock. Outlined below are crucial reports that will aid in making a well-informed decision on Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Stock:
Check out the analysis of Quest Diagnostics Fundamentals Over Time.
Note that the Quest Diagnostics information on this page should be used as a complementary analysis to other Quest Diagnostics' statistical models used to find the right mix of equity instruments to add to your existing portfolios or create a brand new portfolio. You can also try the Sectors module to list of equity sectors categorizing publicly traded companies based on their primary business activities.

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When running Quest Diagnostics' price analysis, check to measure Quest Diagnostics' market volatility, profitability, liquidity, solvency, efficiency, growth potential, financial leverage, and other vital indicators. We have many different tools that can be utilized to determine how healthy Quest Diagnostics is operating at the current time. Most of Quest Diagnostics' value examination focuses on studying past and present price action to predict the probability of Quest Diagnostics' future price movements. You can analyze the entity against its peers and the financial market as a whole to determine factors that move Quest Diagnostics' price. Additionally, you may evaluate how the addition of Quest Diagnostics to your portfolios can decrease your overall portfolio volatility.
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Is Quest Diagnostics' industry expected to grow? Or is there an opportunity to expand the business' product line in the future? Factors like these will boost the valuation of Quest Diagnostics. If investors know Quest will grow in the future, the company's valuation will be higher. The financial industry is built on trying to define current growth potential and future valuation accurately. All the valuation information about Quest Diagnostics listed above have to be considered, but the key to understanding future value is determining which factors weigh more heavily than others.
Quarterly Earnings Growth
(0.03)
Dividend Share
2.88
Earnings Share
7.43
Revenue Per Share
83.105
Quarterly Revenue Growth
0.015
The market value of Quest Diagnostics is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of Quest that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of Quest Diagnostics' value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is Quest Diagnostics' true underlying value. Investors use various methods to calculate intrinsic value and buy a stock when its market value falls below its intrinsic value. Because Quest Diagnostics' market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect Quest Diagnostics' underlying business (such as a pandemic or basic market pessimism), market value can vary widely from intrinsic value.
Please note, there is a significant difference between Quest Diagnostics' value and its price as these two are different measures arrived at by different means. Investors typically determine if Quest Diagnostics is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, Quest Diagnostics' price is the amount at which it trades on the open market and represents the number that a seller and buyer find agreeable to each party.

What is Financial Leverage?

Financial leverage is the use of borrowed money (debt) to finance the purchase of assets with the expectation that the income or capital gain from the new asset will exceed the cost of borrowing. In most cases, the debt provider will limit how much risk it is ready to take and indicate a limit on the extent of the leverage it will allow. In the case of asset-backed lending, the financial provider uses the assets as collateral until the borrower repays the loan. In the case of a cash flow loan, the general creditworthiness of the company is used to back the loan. The concept of leverage is common in the business world. It is mostly used to boost the returns on equity capital of a company, especially when the business is unable to increase its operating efficiency and returns on total investment. Because earnings on borrowing are higher than the interest payable on debt, the company's total earnings will increase, ultimately boosting stockholders' profits.

Leverage and Capital Costs

The debt to equity ratio plays a role in the working average cost of capital (WACC). The overall interest on debt represents the break-even point that must be obtained to profitability in a given venture. Thus, WACC is essentially the average interest an organization owes on the capital it has borrowed for leverage. Let's say equity represents 60% of borrowed capital, and debt is 40%. This results in a financial leverage calculation of 40/60, or 0.6667. The organization owes 10% on all equity and 5% on all debt. That means that the weighted average cost of capital is (.4)(5) + (.6)(10) - or 8%. For every $10,000 borrowed, this organization will owe $800 in interest. Profit must be higher than 8% on the project to offset the cost of interest and justify this leverage.

Benefits of Financial Leverage

Leverage provides the following benefits for companies:
  • Leverage is an essential tool a company's management can use to make the best financing and investment decisions.
  • It provides a variety of financing sources by which the firm can achieve its target earnings.
  • Leverage is also an essential technique in investing as it helps companies set a threshold for the expansion of business operations. For example, it can be used to recommend restrictions on business expansion once the projected return on additional investment is lower than the cost of debt.
By borrowing funds, the firm incurs a debt that must be paid. But, this debt is paid in small installments over a relatively long period of time. This frees funds for more immediate use in the stock market. For example, suppose a company can afford a new factory but will be left with negligible free cash. In that case, it may be better to finance the factory and spend the cash on hand on inputs, labor, or even hold a significant portion as a reserve against unforeseen circumstances.

The Risk of Financial Leverage

The most obvious and apparent risk of leverage is that if price changes unexpectedly, the leveraged position can lead to severe losses. For example, imagine a hedge fund seeded by $50 worth of investor money. The hedge fund borrows another $50 and buys an asset worth $100, leading to a leverage ratio of 2:1. For the investor, this is neither good nor bad -- until the asset price changes. If the asset price goes up 10 percent, the investor earns $10 on $50 of capital, a net gain of 20 percent, and is very pleased with the increased gains from the leverage. However, if the asset price crashes unexpectedly, say by 30 percent, the investor loses $30 on $50 of capital, suffering a 60 percent loss. In other words, the effect of leverage is to increase the volatility of returns and increase the effects of a price change on the asset to the bottom line while increasing the chance for profit as well.