Quest Diagnostics Reports First Quarter 2019 Financial Results

  • First quarter revenues of $1.89 billion, up 0.4% from 2018
  • First quarter reported diluted EPS of $1.20, down 5.4% from 2018; and adjusted diluted EPS of $1.40, down 7.9% from 2018
  • Cash provided by operations was $275 million, up 53.4% from 2018
  • Outlook for full-year 2019 remains unchanged.

SECAUCUS, N.J., April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, announced today financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated logo. (PRNewsFoto/Quest Diagnostics Incorporated)

"We're off to a good start in 2019, with solid volume growth from our expanded health plan access," said Steve Rusckowski, Chairman, President and CEO. "As we anticipated, volume accelerated through the quarter, and we look forward to continued progress as a member of UnitedHealthcare's Preferred Lab Network beginning July 1. We continue to drive productivity to address ongoing reimbursement pressure, and are well positioned to meet our financial commitments for the remainder of 2019."

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

2019

 

2018

 

Change

 

(dollars in millions, except per share data)

Reported:

         

Net revenues

$

1,891

   

$

1,884

   

0.4

%

Diagnostic Information Services revenues

$

1,812

   

$

1,803

   

0.5

%

Revenue per requisition

       

(3.0)

%

Requisition volume

       

3.6

%

Organic requisition volume

       

2.4

%

Operating income (a)

$

248

   

$

272

   

(8.7)

%

Operating income as a percentage of net revenues (a)

13.2

%

 

14.5

%

 

(130) bps

Net income attributable to Quest Diagnostics (a)

$

164

   

$

177

   

(7.3)

%

Diluted EPS (a)

$

1.20

   

$

1.27

   

(5.4)

%

Cash provided by operations

$

275

   

$

180

   

53.4

%

Capital expenditures

$

47

   

$

73

   

(35.3)

%

           

Adjusted (b):

         

Operating income

$

286

   

$

325

   

(11.6)

%

Operating income as a percentage of net revenues

15.1

%

 

17.2

%

 

(210) bps

Net income attributable to Quest Diagnostics

$

190

   

$

211

   

(9.9)

%

Diluted EPS

$

1.40

   

$

1.52

   

(7.9)

%

   

(a)

For further details impacting the year-over-year comparisons related to operating income, operating income as a percentage of net revenues, net income attributable to Quest Diagnostics, and diluted EPS, see note 2 of the financial tables attached below.

   

(b)

Beginning in 2019, the company has changed how it presents adjusted income measures to additionally exclude amortization expense for all periods. We believe this presentation provides investors with additional insight to evaluate our performance period over period and relative to competitors, as well as to analyze the underlying trends in our business.

Outlook for full-year 2019

The Company's outlook for full-year 2019 remains unchanged as follows:

 

Current Outlook

 
 

Low

 

High

 

Net revenues

$7.60 billion

 

$7.75 billion

 

Net revenue increase

1%

 

3%

 

Reported diluted EPS

Greater than $5.16

 

Adjusted diluted EPS

Greater than $6.40

 

Cash provided by operations

Approximately $1.3 billion

 

Capital expenditures

$350 million

 

$400 million

 
         

Note on Non-GAAP Financial Measures

As used in this press release the term "reported" refers to measures under the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP"). The term "adjusted" refers to non-GAAP operating performance measures that exclude special items such as restructuring and integration charges, amortization expense, excess tax benefit ("ETB") associated with stock-based compensation, and other items.

Non-GAAP adjusted measures are presented because management believes those measures are useful adjuncts to GAAP results. Non-GAAP adjusted measures should not be considered as an alternative to the corresponding measures determined under GAAP. Management may use these non-GAAP measures to evaluate our performance period over period and relative to competitors, to analyze the underlying trends in our business, to establish operational budgets and forecasts and for incentive compensation purposes. We believe that these non-GAAP measures are useful to investors and analysts to evaluate our performance period over period and relative to competitors, as well as to analyze the underlying trends in our business and to assess our performance. The additional tables attached below include reconciliations of adjusted measures to GAAP measures.

Conference Call Information

Quest Diagnostics will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss financial results beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time today. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 888-455-0391 within the U.S. and Canada, or 773-756-0467 internationally, passcode: Investor; or via live webcast on the Company's website at www.QuestDiagnostics.com/investor. The company suggests participants dial in approximately 10 minutes before the call.

A replay of the call may be accessed online at www.QuestDiagnostics.com/investor or by phone at 866-480-3547 for domestic callers or 203-369-1551 for international callers. No passcode is required. Telephone replays will be available from approximately 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time on April 23, 2019 until midnight Eastern Time on May 7, 2019. Anyone listening to the call is encouraged to read the company's periodic reports, on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the discussion of risk factors and historical results of operations and financial condition in those reports.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 46,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

The statements in this press release which are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that they are made and which reflect management's current estimates, projections, expectations or beliefs and which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to be materially different. Risks and uncertainties that may affect the future results of the company include, but are not limited to, 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 regulations, changing relationships with customers, payers, suppliers or strategic partners and other factors discussed in the company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and in any of the company's 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.

This earnings release, including the attached financial tables, is available online in the Newsroom section at www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics Incorporated


Company Codes: NYSE:DGX

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