The 2026 Q1 earnings season continues to roll along, with a wide variety of companies revealing results in the coming days. The cycle has overall been strong, with growth remaining solid and a decent number of companies exceeding quarterly expectations.
And concerning those exceeding quarterly expectations, UnitedHealth $UNH Group UNH, Quanta Services $PWR PWR, and Quest Diagnostics $DGX DGX both raised their outlooks, with each also seeing a nice pop following their results.
UnitedHealth
UnitedHealth posted a double beat relative to our consensus expectations, with both EPS and sales moving modestly higher year-over-year. It reflected the company’s first double-beat in several quarters, helping underpin the favorable reaction shares enjoyed post-earnings.
The company’s EPS outlook remains bullish, with estimates drifting higher across all timeframes illustrated below. The favorable revisions are led by a guidance upgrade, with UNH raising its FY26 earnings outlook.
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Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics similarly posted a double-beat relative to our consensus expectations, marking the sixth consecutive period in which it exceeded both EPS and sales expectations. Sales grew 9.2% from the year-ago period, whereas EPS grew by a double-digit 13.1% YoY.
The company raised both its EPS and sales guidance for its current FY26 amid the favorable results, with DGX seeing favorable revisions following the release.
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Quanta Services
Quanta Services yet again delivered another set of robust quarterly results, with both EPS and sales results beating Zacks Consensus Estimates. Adjusted EPS of $2.68 grew by a sizable 50% YoY and reflected a 31.4% surprise, whereas sales of $7.9 billion saw a double-digit 26.3% YoY climb. Importantly, the backlog reached a record $48.5 billion, helping underpin its broader business momentum for a long time to come.
Quanta Services raised guidance across many metrics, driven by a favorable demand environment, further adding to the positivity. The broad guidance hike is very bullish from a share momentum standpoint, a big driver behind the stock’s surge after it reported.
EPS revisions remain bullish nearly across the board.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Bottom Line
Guidance upgrades are generally among the most bullish announcements a company can make, signaling that the outlook is even better than previously expected. Upgrades commonly lead to share outperformance, with UnitedHealth UNH, Quanta Services PWR, and Quest Diagnostics DGX seeing bullish share reactions following their results.
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UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH): Free Stock Analysis Report
Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR): Free Stock Analysis Report
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (DGX): Free Stock Analysis Report