Quest Diagnostics 10-Q 2025-06-30
Filed 2025-07-23. 8 sections, 188K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
| UNITED STATES | ||
| SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION | ||
| WASHINGTON, DC 20549 | ||
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2025
Or
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 001-12215
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
| Delaware | 16-1387862 | ||||||||||||||||
| (State of Incorporation) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) | ||||||||||||||||
| 500 Plaza Drive | |||||||||||||||||
| Secaucus, | NJ | 07094 | |||||||||||||||
| (973) | 520-2700 |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
| Common Stock, $0.01 Par Value | DGX | New York Stock Exchange |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | ||||||||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | ||||||||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
As of July 15, 2025, there were outstanding 111,823,441 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $.01 par value.
PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2025 AND 2024
(unaudited)
(in millions, except per share data)
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenues | $ | 2,761 | $ | 2,397 | $ | 5,413 | $ | 4,763 | |||||||||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses and other operating income: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of services | 1,818 | 1,593 | 3,607 | 3,188 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 486 | 416 | 962 | 856 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 39 | 29 | 78 | 58 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other operating (income) expense, net | (20) | 4 | (18) | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating costs and expenses, net | 2,323 | 2,042 | 4,629 | 4,108 | |||||||||||||||||||
| **Opera |
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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Our Company
Diagnostic Information Services
Quest Diagnostics works across the healthcare ecosystem to create a healthier world, one life at a time. Our diagnostic information services ("DIS") business provides diagnostic insights from the results of our laboratory testing to empower people, physicians, and organizations to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from one of the world's largest databases of de-identifiable clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve healthcare management. In the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives and create a healthier world. We provide services to a broad range of customers within our primary customer channels - physicians (including those associated with accountable care organizations and Federally Qualified Health Centers), hospitals, and patients and consumers. Our other customers include health plans, employers, emerging retail healthcare providers, government agencies, pharmaceutical companies and other commercial clinical laboratories. We offer broad access to clinical testing through a nationwide network of laboratories, patient service centers, phlebotomists in physician offices, and our connectivity resources, including call centers and mobile phlebotomists, nurses and other health and wellness professionals. Our large in-house staff of medical and scientific experts, including medical directors, scientific directors, genetic counselors and board-certified geneticists, provide medical and scientific consultation to healthcare providers and patients regarding our tests and test results, and help them best utilize our services to improve outcomes and enhance satisfaction. Our DIS business makes up greater than 97% of our consolidated net revenues.
We assess our revenue performance for our DIS business based upon, among other factors, volume (measured by test requisitions) and revenue per requisition. Each test requisition accompanies patient specimens, indicating the test(s) to be performed and the party to be billed for the test(s). Revenue per requisition is impacted by various factors, including, among other items, the impact of fee schedule changes (i.e., unit price), test mix, payer mix, business mix and the number of tests per requisition. Management uses number of requisitions and revenue per requisition data to assist with assessing the growth and performance of the business, including understanding trends affecting number of requisitions, pricing and test mix. Therefore, we believe that information related to changes in these metrics from period to period are useful information for investors as it allows them to assess the performance of the business.
Diagnostic Solutions
Our diagnostic solutions ("DS") group, which represents the balance of our consolidated net revenues, includes our risk assessment services business, which offers solutions for insurers, and our healthcare information technology businesses, which offer solutions for healthcare providers and payers.
Second Quarter Highlights
| Three Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||||||||||
| (dollars in millions, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||
| Net revenues | $2,761 | $2,397 | ||||||||||||
| DIS revenues | $2,699 | $2,333 | ||||||||||||
| Revenue per requisition change | (0.4)% | 1.6% | ||||||||||||
| Requisition volume change | 16.3% | 1.1% | ||||||||||||
| Organic requisition volume change | 2.1% | 0.7% | ||||||||||||
| DS revenues | $62 | $64 | ||||||||||||
| Operating income | $438 | $355 | ||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to Quest Diagnostics | $282 | $229 | ||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share | $2.47 | $2.03 | ||||||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $544 | $360 | ||||||||||||
| Capital expenditures | $108 | $92 |
For further discussion of the year-over-year changes for the three months ended June 30, 2025 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2024, see "Results of Operations" below.
Invigorate Program
We are engaged in a multi-year program called Invigorate, which includes structured plans to drive savings and improve productivity across the value chain, including in such areas as patient services, logistics and laboratory operations, revenue services, information technology and procurement. The Invigorate program aims to deliver 3% annual cost savings and productivity improvements to partially offset pressures from the current inflationary environment, including labor and benefit cost increases and reimbursement pressures. We are leveraging automation and artificial intelligence to improve productivity and also improve quality across our entire value chain, not just in the laboratory. Other areas of focus include reducing denials and patient concessions, enhancing the digital experience, and selecting and retaining talent.
For the six months ended June 30, 2025, we incurred $26 million of pre-tax charges in connection with restructuring and integration activities, including $12 million of employee separation costs, with the remainder including integration costs. Most of the charges will result in cash expenditures. Additional restructuring and integration charges may be incurred in future periods, including as we identify additional opportunities to achieve further savings and productivity improvements.
Outlook and Trends
In July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) was enacted. The OBBBA and other possible legislation is expected to impact healthcare providers in the United States, including us, primarily through changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). These changes could lead to reduced funding, increased regulatory burdens and potential shifts in patient populations among payer types and utilization. Additional federal and state guidance is expected to be issued in order to implement the various provisions of the OBBBA, many of which have effective dates in 2027 and 2028. In addition, if Congress does not act to extend the enhanced Premium Tax Credits (“PTC”) that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which have helped drive an increase in Individual Public Exchange enrollment, they will expire at the end of 2025 and could also have an impact on patient populations and result in shifts among payer types and utilization.
Revenues generated under Medicaid and managed Medicaid programs, and through the ACA related Exchange Plans, represented approximately 8% and less than 5%, respectively, of consolidated revenues for 2024. Based on the provisions of the new legislation (including various effective dates), we currently believe that the OBBBA, and expiration of the enhanced PTCs, are not likely to have a material impact on our consolidated revenues for 2025 and 2026. In addition, we currently estimate that for 2026 through 2028 the OBBBA and the planned expiration of the enhanced PTCs at the end of 2025 could reduce our consolidated revenues by up to 50-60 basis points by 2028, compared to 2025, primarily reflecting the impact on our ACA related Exchange Plans revenues.
While the impacts outlined above represent our current estimates, we continue to assess the impact of the OBBBA and the planned expiration of the enhanced PTCs on our outlook for the remainder of 2025 through 2028.
The OBBBA also makes permanent key elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, including 100% bonus depreciation, domestic research cost expensing and the business interest expense limitation, among other tax changes. Many of the tax provisions of the OBBBA are designed to accelerate tax deductions, which could lead to lower cash tax payments. The new legislation has multiple effective dates, with certain provisions effective in 2025 and others in the future. While we continue to assess the impact of the tax provisions of the OBBBA on our consolidated financial statements, we currently believe that the tax provisions of the legislation are not expected to have a material impact on our statement of operations.
For additional discussion regarding regulatory trends and uncertainties, and the risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described above, see Part I, Item 1, “Business – The Clinical Testing Industry,” and “Business – Regulation”, Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and the “Outlook and Trends” section of Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Critical Accounting Policies
There have been no significant changes to our critical accounting policies from those disclosed in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K**.**
Impact of New Accounting Standards
The adoption of new accounting standards, if any, is discussed in Note 2 to the interim unaudited consolidated financial statements.
The impact of recent accounting pronouncements not yet effective on our consolidated financial statements, if any, is also discussed in Note 2 to the interim unaudited consolidated financial statements.
Results of Operations
The following tables set forth certain results of operations data for the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | $ Change | % Change | 2025 | 2024 | $ Change | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in millions, except per share amounts) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenues: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DIS business | $ | 2,699 | $ | 2,333 | $ | 366 | 15.7 | % | $ | 5,288 | $ | 4,631 | $ | 657 | 14.2 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DS businesses | 62 | 64 | (2) | (3.1) | 125 | 132 | (7) | (5.5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total net revenues | $ | 2,761 | $ | 2,397 | $ | 364 | 15.2 | % | $ | 5,413 | $ | 4,763 | $ | 650 | 13.7 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses and other operating income: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of services | $ | 1,818 | $ | 1,593 | $ | 225 | 14.1 | % | $ | 3,607 | $ | 3,188 | $ | 419 | 13.1 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 486 | 416 | 70 | 16.7 | 962 | 856 | 106 | 12.4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 39 | 29 | 10 | 32.2 | 78 | 58 | 20 | 33.2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other operating (income) expense, net | (20) | 4 | (24) | NM | (18) | 6 | (24) | NM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating costs and expenses, net | $ | 2,323 | $ | 2,042 | $ | 281 | 13.8 | % | $ | 4,629 | $ | 4,108 | $ | 521 | 12.7 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating income | $ | 438 | $ | 355 | $ | 83 | 23.3 | % | $ | 784 | $ | 655 | $ | 129 | 19.7 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net | $ | (67) | $ | (44) | $ | (23) | 51.1 | % | $ | (134) | $ | (87) | $ | (47) | 53.5 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income, net | 13 | 3 | 10 | NM | 10 | 12 | (2) | NM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total non-operating expense, net | $ | (54) | $ | (41) | $ | (13) | NM | $ | (124) | $ | (75) | $ | (49) | NM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | $ | (97) | $ | (74) | $ | (23) | 30.7 | % | $ | (156) | $ | (140) | $ | (16) | 11.2 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Effective income tax rate | 25.1 | % | 23.4 | % | 23.6 | % | 24.2 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equity in earnings of equity method investees, net of taxes | $ | 9 | $ | — | $ | 9 | NM | $ | 27 | $ | 8 | $ | 19 | NM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to Quest Diagnostics | $ | 282 | $ | 229 | $ | 53 | 23.1 | % | $ | 502 | $ | 423 | $ | 79 | 18.6 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per common share attributable to Quest Diagnostics' common stockholders | $ | 2.47 | $ | 2.03 | $ | 0.44 | 21.7 | % | $ | 4.41 | $ | 3.75 | $ | 0.66 | 17.6 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NM - Not Meaningful | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The following table sets forth certain results of operations data as a percentage of net revenues for the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenues: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| DIS business | 97.8 | % | 97.3 | % | 97.7 | % | 97.2 | % | |||||||||||||||
| DS businesses | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.8 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total net revenues | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses and other operating income: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of services | 65.8 | % | 66.5 | % | 66.6 | % | 67.0 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 17.6 | 17.4 | 17.8 | 18.0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other operating (income) expense, net | (0.7) | 0.1 | (0.3) | 0.1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating costs and expenses, net | 84.1 | % | 85.2 | % | 85.5 | % | 86.3 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Operating income | 15.9 | % | 14.8 | % | 14.5 | % | 13.7 | % | |||||||||||||||
Operating Results
Results for the three months ended June 30, 2025 were affected by certain items that on a net basis decreased diluted earnings per share by $0.15 as follows:
-
pre-tax amortization expense of $39 million recorded in amortization of intangible assets, or $0.25 per diluted share;
-
pre-tax charges of $28 million, recorded in other operating (income) expense, net, or $0.19 per diluted share, primarily representing a $24 million impairment charge on certain long-lived assets related to the potential exit of a business, and, to a lesser extent, losses associated with the increase in the fair value of the contingent consideration accrual associated with previous acquisitions; and
-
pre-tax charges of $7 million ($1 million recorded in cost of services and $6 million recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses), or $0.04 per diluted share, primarily associated with workforce reductions and integration costs incurred in connection with further restructuring and integrating our business; partially offset by
-
a pre-tax gain of $46 million, recorded in other operating (income) expense, net, or $0.30 per diluted share, from a payroll tax credit under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act") associated with the retention of employees;
-
pre-tax gains of $2 million ($1 million recorded in other income, net and $1 million recorded in equity in earnings of equity method investees, net of taxes), or $0.01 per diluted share, representing net gains associated with changes in the carrying value of our strategic investments; and
-
$3 million of excess tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation arrangements, recorded in income tax expense, or $0.02 per diluted share.
Results for the six months ended June 30, 2025 were affected by certain items that on a net basis decreased diluted earnings per share by $0.42 as follows:
-
pre-tax amortization expense of $78 million recorded in amortization of intangible assets, or $0.51 per diluted share;
-
pre-tax charges of $30 million, recorded in other operating (income) expense, net, or $0.21 per diluted share, primarily representing a $24 million impairment charge on certain long-lived assets related to the potential exit of a business, and, to a lesser extent, losses associated with the increase in the fair value of the contingent consideration accrual associated with previous acquisitions; and
-
pre-tax charges of $26 million ($7 million recorded in cost of services and $19 million recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses), or $0.17 per diluted share, primarily associated with workforce reductions and integration costs incurred in connection with further restructuring and integrating our business; partially offset by
-
pre-tax gains of $54 million ($46 million recorded in other operating (income) expense, net and $8 million recorded in equity in earnings of equity method investees, net of taxes), or $0.36 per diluted share, from a $46 million payroll tax credit under the CARES Act associated with the retention of employees and, to a lesser extent, an $8 million non-recurring gain related to a lease;
-
pre-tax gains of $2 million ($1 million recorded in other income, net and $1 million recorded in equity in earnings of equity method investees, net of taxes), or $0.01 per diluted share, representing net gains associated with changes in the carrying value of our strategic investments; and
-
$12 million of excess tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation arrangements, recorded in income tax expense, or $0.10 per diluted share.
Results for the three months ended June 30, 2024 were affected by certain items that on a net basis decreased diluted earnings per share by $0.32 as follows:
-
pre-tax amortization expense of $29 million recorded in amortization of intangible assets, or $0.19 per diluted share;
-
pre-tax charges of $10 million ($1 million recorded in cost of services and $9 million recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses), or $0.06 per diluted share, primarily associated with workforce reductions and integration costs incurred in connection with further restructuring and integrating our business;
-
pre-tax charges of $9 million recorded in equity in earnings of equity method investees, net of taxes, or $0.05 per diluted share, representing net losses associated with changes in the carrying value of our strategic investments; and
-
pre-tax charges of $4 million ($1 million recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses and $3 million recorded in other operating (income) expense, net), or $0.03 per diluted share, primarily representing a loss associated with the increase in the fair value of the contingent consideration accrual associated with previous acquisitions; partially offset by
-
$1 million of excess tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation arrangements, recorded in income tax expense, or $0.01 per diluted share.
Results for the six months ended June 30, 2024 were affected by certain items that on a net basis decreased diluted earnings per share by $0.64 as follows:
-
pre-tax amortization expense of $58 million recorded in amortization of intangible assets, or $0.39 per diluted share;
-
pre-tax charges of $27 million ($14 million recorded in cost of services and $13 million recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses), or $0.17 per diluted share, primarily associated with workforce reductions and integration costs incurred in connection with further restructuring and integrating our business;
-
pre-tax charges of $7 million ($1 million recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses and $6 million recorded in other operating (income) expense, net), or $0.06 per diluted share, primarily representing a loss associated with the increase in the fair value of the contingent consideration accrual associated with previous acquisitions; and
-
pre-tax charges of $9 million recorded in equity in earnings of equity method investees, net of taxes, or $0.05 per diluted share, representing net losses associated with changes in the carrying value of our strategic investments; partially offset by
-
$3 million of excess tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation arrangements, recorded in income tax expense, or $0.03 per diluted share.
Net Revenues
Net revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2025 increased by 15.2% compared to the prior year period. For the three months ended June 30, 2025, organic growth was 5.2% compared to the prior year period.
DIS revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2025 increased by 15.7% compared to the prior year period. For the three months ended June 30, 2025:
-
The increase in DIS revenues compared to the prior year period was driven primarily by the impact of recent acquisitions and, to a lesser extent, organic growth. For the three months ended June 30, 2025, recent acquisitions contributed approximately 10.3% to DIS revenues.
-
DIS volume increased by 16.3% compared to the prior year period driven by the impact of recent acquisitions, which contributed approximately 14.2% to DIS volume, with organic volume up by 2.1%.
-
Total revenue per requisition was down 0.4% versus the prior year period, driven primarily by the impact of the LifeLabs acquisition, which carries a lower revenue per requisition. On an organic basis, revenue per requisition was up 3.3% in the quarter versus the prior year period driven primarily by an increase in the number of tests per requisition and test mix.
DS revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2025 decreased by 3.1% compared to the prior year period principally due to lower revenues associated with our risk assessment services offered to insurers.
Net revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2025 increased by 13.7% compared to the prior year period. For the six months ended June 30, 2025, organic growth was 3.8% compared to the prior year period.
DIS revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2025 increased by 14.2% compared to the prior year period. For the six months ended June 30, 2025:
-
The increase in DIS revenues compared to the prior year period was driven primarily by the impact of recent acquisitions and, to a lesser extent, organic growth. For the six months ended June 30, 2025, recent acquisitions contributed approximately 10.1% to DIS revenues.
-
DIS volume increased by 14.3% compared to the prior year period driven by the impact of recent acquisitions, which contributed approximately 13.7% to DIS volume, with organic volume up by 0.6%.
-
Revenue per requisition was flat compared to the prior year period. The impact of LifeLabs, which has a lower revenue per requisition, was offset by an increase in the number of tests per requisition. On an organic basis, revenue per requisition increased 3.5% during the period.
DS revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2025 decreased by 5.5% compared to the prior year period principally due to lower revenues associated with our risk assessment services offered to insurers.
Cost of Services
Cost of services consists principally of costs for obtaining, transporting and testing specimens as well as facility costs used for the delivery of our services.
For the three months ended June 30, 2025, cost of services increased by $225 million compared to the prior year period. The increase was primarily driven by the impact of recent acquisitions, wage increases, and, to a lesser extent, higher supplies expense, partially offset by cost savings and productivity improvements from our Invigorate program.
For the six months ended June 30, 2025, cost of services increased by $419 million compared to the prior year period. The increase was primarily driven by the impact of recent acquisitions, wage increases, and, to a lesser extent, higher supplies expense, partially offset by cost savings and productivity improvements from our Invigorate program.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses ("SG&A")
SG&A consist principally of the costs associated with our sales and marketing efforts, billing operations, credit loss expense and general management and administrative support as well as administrative facility costs.
For the three months ended June 30, 2025, SG&A increased by $70 million compared to the prior period. The increase was primarily driven by the impact of recent acquisitions, and, to a lesser extent, higher costs associated with changes in the fair value of our deferred compensation obligations.
For the six months ended June 30, 2025, SG&A increased by $106 million compared to the prior period. The increase was primarily driven by the impact of recent acquisitions, and, to a lesser extent, wage increases.
The changes in the value of our deferred compensation obligations is largely offset by changes in the value of the associated investments, which are recorded in other income, net. For further details regarding our deferred compensation plans, see Note 17 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Amortization Expense
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, amortization expense increased by $10 million and $20 million, respectively, compared to the prior year periods as a result of recent acquisitions.
Other Operating (Income) Expense, Net
Other operating (income) expense, net includes miscellaneous income and expense items and other charges related to operating activities.
For both the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, other operating (income) expense, net includes a $46 million gain from a payroll tax credit under the CARES Act associated with the retention of employees. Additionally, during the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, we recorded an impairment charge of $24 million on certain long-lived assets related to the potential exit of a business. Also, both periods include losses associated with the increase in the fair value of the contingent consideration accrual associated with previous acquisitions.
For both the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, other operating (income) expense, net primarily represents losses associated with the increase in the fair value of the contingent consideration accrual associated with previous acquisitions.
Interest Expense, Net
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, interest expense, net increased by $23 million and $47 million, respectively, compared to the prior year periods primarily due to the issuance during August 2024 of $1.85 billion of senior notes.
Other Income, Net
Other income, net represents miscellaneous income and expense items related to non-operating activities, such as gains and losses associated with investments and other non-operating assets.
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, other income, net included $11 million and $9 million, respectively, of gains associated with investments in our deferred compensation plans.
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, other income, net included $3 million and $12 million, respectively, of gains associated with investments in our deferred compensation plans.
Income Tax Expense
Income tax expense for the three months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024 was $97 million and $74 million, respectively.
The effective income tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024 was 25.1% and 23.4%, respectively. The effective income tax rate benefited from $3 million and $1 million of excess tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation arrangements for the three months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Income tax expense for the six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024 was $156 million and $140 million, respectively.
The effective income tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024 was 23.6% and 24.2%, respectively. The effective income tax rate benefited from $12 million and $3 million of excess tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation arrangements for the six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Equity in Earnings of Equity Method Investees, Net of Taxes
Equity in earnings of equity method investees, net of taxes, increased by $9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2025, compared to the prior year period, primarily due to the three months ended June 30, 2024 including $9 million of net losses associated with changes in the carrying value of our strategic investments.
Equity in earnings of equity method investees, net of taxes, increased by $19 million for the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to the prior year period, primarily due to the six months ended June 30, 2024 including $9 million of net losses associated with changes in the carrying value of our strategic investments and the six months ended June 30, 2025 including an $8 million non-recurring gain related to a lease.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We address our exposure to market risks, principally the risk of changes in interest rates, through a controlled program of risk management that includes the use of derivative financial instruments. We do not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes. We seek to mitigate the variability in cash outflows that result from changes in interest rates by maintaining a balanced mix of fixed-rate and variable-rate debt obligations. In order to achieve this objective, we have historically entered into interest rate swap agreements. Interest rate swap agreements involve the periodic exchange of payments without the exchange of underlying principal or notional amounts. Net settlements are recognized as an adjustment to interest expense, net. We believe that our exposures to foreign exchange impacts and changes in commodity prices are not material to our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
As of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the fair value of our debt was estimated at approximately $5.6 billion and $6.1 billion, respectively, principally using quoted prices in active markets and yields for the same or similar types of borrowings, taking into account the underlying terms of the debt instruments. As of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the estimated fair value was less than the carrying value of the debt by $26 million and $112 million, respectively. A hypothetical 10% increase in interest rates (representing 47 basis points and 35 basis points as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively) would potentially reduce the estimated fair value of our debt by approximately $149 million and $184 million, respectively, as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024.
Borrowings under our secured receivables credit facility and our senior unsecured revolving credit facility are subject to variable interest rates. Interest on our secured receivables credit facility is based on either commercial paper rates for highly-rated issuers or the adjusted Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("Term SOFR"), plus a spread. Interest on our senior unsecured revolving credit facility is based on certain published rates plus an applicable margin based on changes in our public debt ratings. As such, our borrowing cost under this credit arrangement is subject to fluctuations in interest rates and changes in our public debt ratings. As of June 30, 2025, the borrowing rates under these debt instruments were: for our secured receivables credit facility, commercial paper rates for highly-rated issuers or the adjusted Term SOFR, plus a spread of 0.80%; and for our senior unsecured revolving credit facility, the adjusted Term SOFR, plus 1.00%. As of June 30, 2025, there were no borrowings outstanding under either the secured receivables credit facility or the senior unsecured revolving credit facility.
The notional amount of fixed-to-variable interest rate swaps outstanding as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024 was $1.8 billion and $700 million, respectively. The aggregate fair value of the fixed-to-variable interest rate swaps was $17 million and $(34) million, in an asset (liability) position, as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively.
Based on our net exposure to interest rate changes, a hypothetical 10% change to the variable rate component of our variable-rate indebtedness would not materially change our annual interest expense. A hypothetical 10% change in the SOFR curve (representing a 36 basis points change in the weighted average yield) would potentially change the fair value of our fixed- to-variable interest rate swaps by $46 million.
For further details regarding our outstanding debt, see Note 7 to the interim unaudited consolidated financial statements and Note 13 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K. For details regarding our financial instruments and hedging activities, see Note 8 to the interim unaudited consolidated financial statements and Note 15 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Risk Associated with Investment Portfolio
Our investment portfolio primarily includes equity investments comprised mostly of strategic holdings in companies concentrated in the life sciences and healthcare industries. Equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) with readily determinable fair values are measured at fair value in our consolidated balance sheet with changes in fair value recorded in current earnings in our consolidated statement of operations. Equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values (which consist of investments in preferred and common shares of private companies) are measured at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes.
We regularly evaluate equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values to determine if there are any indicators that the investments are impaired. The carrying value of our equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values was $36 million as of June 30, 2025. In conjunction with the preparation of our June 30, 2025 financial statements, we considered whether the carrying values of our investments were impaired and concluded that no such impairment existed.
We do not hedge our equity price risk. The impact of an adverse movement in equity prices on our holdings in privately held companies cannot be easily quantified as our ability to realize returns on investments depends on, among other things, the enterprises’ ability to raise additional capital or derive cash inflows from continuing operations or through liquidity events such as initial public offerings, mergers or private sales.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
| Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | |||||||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||||||||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 858 | $ | 514 | $ | 344 | |||||||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (239) | (413) | 174 | ||||||||||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (854) | (516) | (338) | ||||||||||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | 5 | — | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Net change in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (230) | $ | (415) | $ | 185 |
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and highly-liquid short-term investments with original maturities, at the time of acquisition, of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2025 totaled $319 million, compared to $549 million as of December 31, 2024.
As of June 30, 2025, approximately 29% of our $319 million of consolidated cash and cash equivalents were held outside of the United States.
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024 was $858 million and $514 million, respectively. The $344 million increase in net cash provided by operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to the prior year period, was primarily a result of increased operating income, the timing of receipts and payments, and the payroll tax credit under the CARES Act.
Days sales outstanding, a measure of billing and collection efficiency, was 47 days as of June 30, 2025, 48 days as of December 31, 2024 and 50 days as of June 30, 2024.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024 was $239 million and $413 million, respectively. This $174 million decrease in net cash used in investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to the prior year period, was a result of decreased cash used for business acquisitions, partially offset by slightly higher capital expenditures.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash used in financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024 was $854 million and $516 million, respectively. This $338 million increase in net cash used in financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to the prior year period, was primarily a result of repaying in full the outstanding indebtedness under our $600 million of 3.50% senior notes at maturity. The six months ended June 30, 2024 included the repayment in full of the outstanding indebtedness under our $300 million of 4.25% senior notes at maturity.
During the six months ended June 30, 2025, we borrowed $400 million under our secured receivables credit facility, which was repaid prior to June 30, 2025. During the six months ended June 30, 2025, there were no borrowings or repayments under our senior unsecured revolving credit facility. During the six months ended June 30, 2024, there were no borrowings or repayments under our secured receivables credit facility and our senior unsecured revolving credit facility.
Dividend Program
During each of the first and second quarters of 2025, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.80 per common share. During each of the four quarters of 2024, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.75 per common share.
Share Repurchase Program
As of June 30, 2025, $0.9 billion remained available under our share repurchase authorization. The share repurchase authorization has no set expiration or termination date.
Share Repurchases
For both the six months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024, we repurchased no shares of our common stock.
Contractual Obligations
A description of the terms of our indebtedness and related debt service requirements is contained in Note 13 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
A discussion of our lease obligations is contained in Note 14 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
A discussion of our noncancellable commitments to purchase products or services is contained in Note 18 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Equity Method Investees
Our equity method investees primarily consist of a diagnostic information services joint venture and an investment in a fund that purchases strategic holdings in private companies in the healthcare industry. Such investees are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Our investment in equity method investees is less than 5% of our consolidated total assets. Our proportionate share of income before income taxes associated with our equity method investees is less than 5% of our consolidated income before income taxes and equity in earnings of equity method investees. We have no material unconditional obligations or guarantees to, or in support of, our equity method investees and their operations.
In conjunction with the preparation of our June 30, 2025 financial statements, we considered whether the carrying values of our equity method investments were impaired and concluded that no such impairment existed.
Requirements and Capital Resources
We estimate that we will invest approximately $500 million during 2025 for capital expenditures, to support and grow our existing operations, principally related to investments in laboratory equipment and facilities, including laboratory automations and information technology to support our diagnostic offerings.
In February 2025, we committed to a multi-year project ("Project Nova") to modernize our "Order-to-Cash" business processes including related information technology infrastructure and underlying enabling technologies. We expect to deliver value throughout the implementation of Project Nova, as it unlocks a variety of streamlined operational benefits, reduced technology-related operating costs, accelerated revenue opportunities and improvements to the customer and patient experience. See our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details.
We have $500 million of 3.45% senior notes due June 2026.
As of June 30, 2025, we had $1.3 billion of borrowing capacity available under our existing credit facilities, including $523 million available under our secured receivables credit facility and $750 million available under our senior unsecured revolving credit facility. There were no borrowings outstanding under either the secured receivables credit facility or the senior unsecured revolving credit facility as of June 30, 2025. In support of our risk management program, $77 million in letters of credit under the secured receivables credit facility were outstanding as of June 30, 2025.
Our secured receivables credit facility is subject to customary affirmative and negative covenants, and certain financial covenants with respect to the receivables that comprise the borrowing base and secure the borrowings under the facility. Our
senior unsecured revolving credit facility is also subject to certain financial covenants and limitations on indebtedness. As of June 30, 2025, we were in compliance with all such applicable financial covenants.
We believe that our cash and cash equivalents and cash from operations, together with our borrowing capacity under our credit facilities, will provide sufficient financial flexibility to fund seasonal and other working capital requirements, capital expenditures, debt service requirements and other obligations, cash dividends on common shares, share repurchases and additional growth opportunities, including acquisitions, for the foreseeable future. However, should it become necessary, we believe that our credit profile should provide us with access to additional financing in order to fund normal business operations, make interest payments, fund additional growth opportunities, including acquisitions, and satisfy upcoming debt maturities.
Forward-Looking Statements
Some statements and disclosures in this document are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts and can be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “believe,” “will,” “expect,” “project,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “plan”, "aim", or “continue.” These forward-looking statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our plans and expectations, including actual results, to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may affect our future results include, but are not limited to, uncertain and volatile economic conditions, adverse results from pending or future government investigations, lawsuits or private actions, the competitive environment, the complexity of billing, reimbursement and revenue recognition for clinical laboratory testing, changes in government policies, including related to trade, and regulations, changing relationships with customers, payers, suppliers and strategic partners, acquisitions and other factors discussed in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including those discussed in the “Business,” “Risk Factors,” “Cautionary Factors that May Affect Future Results” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of those reports.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
See Item 2. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined under Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report.
During the second quarter of 2025, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
See Note 11 to the interim unaudited consolidated financial statements for information regarding the status of legal proceedings involving the Company.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 includes a discussion of our risk factors. There have been no material changes in the risk factors described in that report.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
The table below sets forth the information with respect to purchases made by or on behalf of the Company of its common stock during the second quarter of 2025.
| ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Period | Total Number of Shares Purchased | Average Price Paid per Share | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs | Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| April 1, 2025 – April 30, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Share Repurchase Program (A) | — | $ | — | — | $ | 885,914 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Employee Transactions (B) | — | $ | — | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 1, 2025 - May 31, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Share Repurchase Program (A) | — | $ | — | — | $ | 885,914 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Employee Transactions (B) | 3,340 | $ | 176.42 | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| June 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Share Repurchase Program (A) | — | $ | — | — | $ | 885,914 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Employee Transactions (B) | — | $ | — | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Share Repurchase Program (A) | — | $ | — | — | $ | 885,914 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Employee Transactions (B) | 3,340 | $ | 176.42 | N/A | N/A |
(A)Since the share repurchase program’s inception in May 2003, our Board of Directors has authorized $13 billion of share repurchases of our common stock through June 30, 2025. The share repurchase authorization has no set expiration or termination date.
(B)Includes: (1) shares delivered or attested to in satisfaction of the exercise price and/or tax withholding obligations by holders of stock options (granted under the Company’s Amended and Restated Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan) who exercised options; and (2) shares withheld (under the terms of grants under the Amended and Restated Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan) to offset tax withholding obligations that occur upon the delivery of outstanding common shares underlying restricted stock units and performance share units.
Item 5. Other Information
a.None
b.None
c.Rule 10b5-1 and Non-Rule 10b5-1 Trading Arrangements by Our Directors and Officers
During the quarterly period covered by this report, our directors and officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) adopted, terminated or modified the Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements (as defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K) set forth in the table below. No non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements were adopted, modified or terminated by any director or officer during the quarterly period covered by this report.
| Name | Title | Type of Trading Arrangement | Security | Action | Date of Action | Duration of Trading Arrangement | Aggregate Number of Securities Covered | ||||||||||||||||
| Karthik Kuppusamy | SVP, Clinical Solutions | Rule 10b5-1 plan to sell | Common Stock | Adoption | May 1, 2025 | May 1, 2025 to October 31, 2025* | Up to 10,479* | ||||||||||||||||
| Patrick Plewman | SVP, Diagnostic Services | Rule 10b5-1 plan to sell | Common Stock | Adoption | May 1, 2025 | May 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026* | Up to 48,470* | ||||||||||||||||
| Michael Prevoznik | SVP, General Counsel | Rule 10b5-1 plan to sell | Common Stock | Adoption | May 30, 2025 | May 30, 2025 to March 31, 2026* | Up to 35,962* |
- Includes shares of common stock to be released from (a) restricted stock units that are expected to vest and (b) performance share awards that may vest, subject to the satisfaction of the applicable performance metrics. The actual number of shares of common stock that will be released is not yet determinable and the actual number of shares of common stock that will be sold will be net of the number of shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations.
Item 6. Exhibits
Exhibits:
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
July 23, 2025
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
| By | /s/ James E. Davis | ||||
| James E. Davis | |||||
| Chairman, Chief Executive Officer | |||||
| and President | |||||
| By | /s/ Sam A. Samad | ||||
| Sam A. Samad | |||||
| Executive Vice President and | |||||
| Chief Financial Officer |