Quest Diagnostics Q3 Profit Decreases, but beats estimates

(RTTNews) - Quest Diagnostics (DGX) announced earnings for third quarter that decreased from last year but beat the Street estimates.

The company's earnings came in at $225 million, or $1.96 per share. This compares with $256 million, or $2.17 per share, in last year's third quarter.

Excluding items, Quest Diagnostics reported adjusted earnings of $254 million or $2.22 per share for the period.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $2.19 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the quarter fell 7.6% to $2.30 billion from $2.49 billion last year.

Quest Diagnostics earnings at a glance (GAAP) :

-Earnings (Q3): $225 Mln. vs. $256 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q3): $1.96 vs. $2.17 last year. -Analyst Estimates: $2.19 -Revenue (Q3): $2.30 Bln vs. $2.49 Bln last year.

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $8.65 - $8.75 Full year revenue guidance: $9.19 - $9.24 Bln